Fire In The Storm
by BraveOcelot
Summary: Sootpaw, Dovepaw, and Cloudpaw are apprentices of ThunderClan. When cats start being unexpectedly murdered, suspicion immediately falls onto a band of rogues. The three of them must discover who is actually responsible, or take the risk of ThunderClan being destroyed in the ensuing chaos.
1. Allegiances & Prologue

**A/N:** Alright, so. Just a few words before this starts. This story is a sequel to Catching Doves, the oneshot that I wrote and posted some time ago. As for how this happened, well… I've been intending to follow up on that oneshot with two more oneshots, one each from Cloudpaw and Dovepaw's perspectives. Eventually, I realized that Nanowrimo was coming up, so I got the idea to do a multi-chapter story. Then I learned that the official Nanowrimo challenge does not accept fanfiction, but I decided to write this anyway, and, well… here we are.

I can't give a timeframe on when to expect those two oneshots. I have no clue how often I will be able to update this, or if I will be able to keep going at all, but I will try. I'm not going to ask for feedback, but it would be appreciated.

As a heads-up, while I will change the allegiances to include any cats that I may put in that aren't already there, I will not be updating them to match the current chapter. Those of you on FFN, please note that this story has a warning for Graphic Depictions of Violence on AO3.

That being said… Enjoy!

* * *

 **Allegiances**

 **ThunderClan**

 **Leader:** Mossystar – regal tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with dark green eyes

 **Deputy:** Poolfern – tall black and white she-cat

 **Medicine Cat(s):** Larchnose – small, very pale gray tabby tom

 **Warriors:**

Hollybriar – fluffy black she-cat with green eyes

 **Apprentice, Sootpaw**

Snaketail – brown tabby tom with hazel eyes

 **Apprentice, Dovepaw**

Jumptail – large yellow tabby tom with a white tail tip

Brackenbelly – ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

 **Apprentice, Cloudpaw**

Flamefall – skinny ginger tomcat with amber eyes

Pounceheart – small white tomcat

Iceblossom – pretty white she-cat

Cinderspot – dark gray she-cat with black spots

Darkfur – skinny black tomcat with yellow eyes

Dapplemouse – small, fluffy tortoiseshell she-cat

 **Apprentices:**

Sootpaw – dark gray tom with amber eyes

Dovepaw – gray she-cat with green eyes

Cloudpaw – pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Hazelblaze – light brown tabby she-cat (mother of Jumptail's kits; Cherrykit, a brown and ginger she-kit, Shellkit, a beige she-kit, Adderkit, a yellow tabby tom-kit, and Waspkit, a brown tom-kit with broad stripes)

Mistyshade – fluffy gray tabby she-cat

 **Elders:**

Beetlewing – white she-cat with a fluffy gray tail and spots on her back

Woollytuft – fluffy brown tomcat

 **ShadowClan**

 **Leader:** Sparrowstar – skinny brown tabby tom

 **Deputy:** Ivytuft – huge calico she-cat

 **Medicine Cat(s):** Shadebranch – large, very dark gray tomcat

 **SkyClan**

 **Leader:** Snowstar – dark gray she-cat with many large white spots

 **Deputy:** Tanglenose – dark brown tabby tomcat

 **Medicine Cat(s):** Softeyes – small silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

 **WindClan**

 **Leader:** Echostar – small yellow and white she-cat

 **Deputy:** Badgerleap **–** huge, scarred black and white tom

 **Medicine Cat(s):** Petalgorse – tortoiseshell she-cat with petal-shaped white spots

 **Warriors:**

Miststream – gray and white she-cat

 **Apprentice, Wildpaw**

Nightpond – dark tabby tom with bright blue eyes

 **Apprentice, Songpaw**

 **Apprentices:**

Wildpaw – brown tabby tom

Songpaw – small silver tabby she-cat

 **RiverClan**

 **Leader:** Splashstar – large white tomcat with ginger patches on his ears and tail

 **Deputy:** Stormdapple – small, mottled dark gray she-cat

 **Medicine Cat(s):** Webmouse – gray tabby tom

 **Rogues:**

Quiver – lean black tomcat with a gray spot on his forehead

Rubble – huge dark gray tabby tomcat

Squeaker – skinny brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Buttercup – fluffy, pale yellow tabby she-cat

Buckeye – skinny, mottled dark brown tom

Midnight – large black she-cat

Ginger – white she-cat with ginger spots

Herbert – young black tom with white markings

Serenity – young white she-cat with black spots

Willow – fluffy, pretty gray she-cat (mother of Squeaker's kits; Speckle, a gray she-kit with darker spots, Arch, a dark gray tabby tom-kit with yellow eyes, and Hazel, a brown tabby and white she-kit)

Patch – very old, skinny black and white tom

Boadicea – tiny, fluffy gray and white she-cat with purple-blue eyes

Panache – ginger tabby tom with amber eyes and a white patch on his chest

* * *

Mossystar found herself waking from an intriguing dream. She yawned and stretched, then, settling back down, tried to remember some of its details. Nothing came back to her, except a vaguely unnerved feeling. She thought for a few moments, then sighed, closed her green eyes, and attempted to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the feeling of disquiet did not go away. Mossystar turned over in her nest, then got up and circled three times before curling up again, and yet, it was still there.

Eventually, she gave up on sleep, and rose from the depths of her mossy nest. She yawned and stretched again, all the way from her white front paws to the tip of her fluffy tortoiseshell tail. Then she turned and began to groom the scraps of moss and bracken from her pelt, and once that was done, she padded gently out of the ThunderClan Leader's Den and onto Highledge.

As she sat down on Highledge, she took a moment to feel the cold air of leaf-fall, and swept her eyes over the camp, taking note of where her Clan was at that precise moment. Her gaze roamed across the hollow's rocky walls, along the ancient, rotting beech tree and the two dens woven into the bushes alongside it, and then at the medicine cat's den and the nursery's bramble bush, where four five-moon-old kits slept soundly for the first night in a long time. _That was quite a long game of moss-ball that they had with Dovepaw and Cloudpaw earlier,_ Mossystar mused to herself.

She then took in the bramble-obscured cave in the rock where the two apprentices and their brother, Sootpaw, slept. The three of them were now just two moons away from being made warriors. _If they pass their assessments, that is,_ she thought to herself. Hollybriar and Snaketail had informed her of their apprentices' inattentiveness and excitability. While Mossystar did not doubt that Sootpaw and Dovepaw would pass their assessments, the thought still crept into her head at annoyingly often intervals.

Shaking her head, she paused for a moment, the strained her ears, creeping slightly down one side of Highledge. Sure enough, she heard the faint sounds of raised, bickering voices. She let out the tiniest _mrrow_ of amusement, and felt a slight prickle of dread as she recalled that Sootpaw was supposed to be on the morning's dawn patrol.

After looking down on the silence of the ThunderClan camp, Mossystar still found herself feeling disquieted. She sighed, then looked upwards at the sky and the claw-scratch of moon that graced it, recalling her earlier dream. _StarClan? Are you trying to tell me something?_ she wondered, then dismissed the thought. The dream was too easily fading from her memory, and ThunderClan too tranquil, for that to be the case. There were not even any ominous winds or clouds on the horizon for her to blame.

Feeling frustrated, she lashed her tail, then jumped down the rocky slope leading down from Highledge, and padded towards the thorn barrier. As she slipped through it, she sniffed the air; the scents of Darkfur and Larchnose reached her nose, along with the scent of Flamefall. She found that slightly unusual, but dismissed it, and emerged from the other side of the barrier into the forest.

"Who's there?" Mossystar, peering out into the forest's darkened leaves, turned at the sound of the nervous but bold mew, to meet the eyes of Darkfur, who was on watch that night. "Oh! It's you, Mossystar… sorry, I couldn't see at first…" the young tom continued sheepishly.

Mossystar silenced him with a flick of her tail. "It's not a problem, Darkfur. Rather, I'm glad to see you taking watch duty so seriously," she replied evenly.

"Oh, why, thank you!" he meowed, looking relieved. Then he nervously licked his shoulder, and cast a glance at the surrounding forest, before looking back towards Mossystar. "What brings you out here tonight, if you don't mind me asking, of course?"

"Well…" Mossystar looked up at the starry sky before continuing, debating what to tell him. While he was certainly a trusted member of her Clan, she was not as close to him as certain other members of her Clan, and she did not want to burden him with the concerns of a Clan Leader. Making up her mind, she mewed, "I can't sleep. I don't remember what I was dreaming about, but it left me with a bad feeling that won't go away."

Darkfur's face fell for just a moment, then curiously asked, "So… do you think it's sent from StarClan?" His eyes opened slightly wider.

"No, I don't think so," Mossystar answered. "This seems like just a normal feeling. Hopefully, it will be gone by morning." She started walking slowly past Darkfur, heading for the path around the edge of the stone hollow.

The young cat followed her, and nodded at her explanation. "Hopefully… why come talk to me, though?" he asked. Mossystar paused for a heartbeat. "Larchnose is out doing whatever it is he does with his herb garden at night. Why talk to me instead?"

She studied Darkfur's face, then responded, "Because, aside from your two kits, you're the first cat I've encountered who's awake." Mossystar _had_ been intending to talk to Larchnose instead, but the black tom had intercepted her before she could go search for him. She continued walking.

"Oh… right, then," Darkfur mewed steadily. The two of them were now walking along the rim of the stone hollow, climbing upwards. The tom looked down upon the apprentices' den. "What are my kits up to, by the way?"

"Listen," Mossystar responded, pointing at the den with her tail.

Darkfur pricked his ears, then after a moment, a look of amusement crossed his face. "I see someone is going to have trouble with the dawn patrol," he meowed. "I'm beginning to wonder if those two will ever stop bickering."

"I've wondered the same thing," Mossystar agreed. "I had thought that they would stop once they were apprentices for a couple of moons, but it seems that that is not the case."

Darkfur nodded. "I'm not too concerned about it. Dovepaw and Sootpaw do seem to like each other when you look past the bickering, and they have Cloudpaw to look after them," he stated. "I just hope that they don't bicker like this when they're in the warriors' den. What do you suppose started it this time?"

"Dovepaw probably woke up Sootpaw somehow, when he did not want to be woken up," Mossystar theorized. "One of them is likely to talk about it later; we'll find out then."

"I guess," Darkfur mewed. "You know, Mistyshade told me once that those two seemed to bicker with each other even before they opened their eyes. This might just be a constant thing between them."

Mossystar nodded, and the two of them resumed their walk around the hollow. There were several heartbeats of silence before she spoke. "Well," she started, "they will have new denmates in another moon. They might be too busy getting annoyed at them to argue then."

"Don't you mean Sootpaw will be too busy getting annoyed at them?" Darkfur inquired, with a hint of shyness creeping into his voice. Mossystar flicked an ear at his correction as he continued. "You've seen how Dovepaw behaves around them. She adores them, and will probably be ecstatic when they become apprentices."

Mossystar nodded. The apprentice in question had always seemed enamored by the four kits. Then a thought crept into her head. "Speaking of which," she meowed, pausing for a heartbeat before she continued. "I still need to decide on mentors for them."

Darkfur's eyes widened. "Oh? Um…" he said, then gave his chest fur an embarrassed lick. "Shouldn't you discuss that with Poolfern?"

Mossystar dipped her head. "Probably. But, well…" She looked at the young tomcat, meeting his yellow eyes. "You are next in line for an apprentice."

Darkfur's tail and ears stuck straight up, and he made a small leap of surprise. "Really?" he asked, eyes wide. "Me? Are you sure? I'm finding it difficult enough to be a father," he continued nervously.

Mossystar nodded. "You, Cinderspot, and Dapplemouse, actually," she meowed. "And you've done a great job at being a father, as far as I can see. Mistyshade never has any complaints about you."

"R-Really?" he stammered out, clearly feeling very flattered. "Well then, I'll be honored to mentor one of Hazelblaze's kits," he mewed, sounding delighted. He then paused briefly and looked down into the hollow; they were now at the very top of its rim. Mossystar followed his gaze and saw that he was studying the nursery.

She looked back at the young tom, feeling pleased. "Then I'm glad," she mewed. "I haven't decided who I want to mentor each of them yet. If there's one in particular that you'd prefer…"

Darkfur shook his head. "Oh, no! I'd be honored to mentor any one of them!" he meowed. Then a look of contemplation crossed his face. "Wait. You said that Cinderspot, Dapplemouse, and I would be mentors. What about…?"

"The fourth mentor? I don't know," Mossystar confessed. "I would've considered your mate if she hadn't decided to stay in the nursery." She sighed. "Now, I don't know who to pick."

Darkfur tilted his head, as if wondering whether Mossystar was insulting Mistyshade and if he should be offended, then meowed, "Um… who did you have in mind?"

Mossystar thought for a moment. "Probably Poolfern or Flamefall," she answered. "Or maybe Pounceheart or Iceblossom. I'm not sure." She looked back up at the sky. "There really is no easy choice on that one."

Darkfur narrowed his eyes in concentration, then looked up to the sky as well. "I can't think of anyone in particular, either," he mewed softly. Then he blinked. "Perhaps StarClan will help you decide on this one?"

"Perhaps," she replied. There was silence for several heartbeats as the pair made their way down the rim of the hollow, approaching the thorn barrier. "So, I assume it's been an uneventful watch?" she asked, looking to dispel the disquieting feeling that had so far refused to leave her.

Darkfur nodded. "Y-yes," he meowed. "Larchnose left for his herb garden, and Flamefall left for a walk earlier. Aside from that, it's been completely quiet," he finished, looking shyly down at his paws.

Mossystar nodded. "That's good. Quiet means that nothing bad is happening," she mewed delicately. Looking in front of her, she realized that they had returned to the thorn barrier. She dipped her head to Darkfur. "Well," she began, "thank you for the talk."

"Oh! I-if you say so," said Darkfur. "It can get awfully lonely on watch sometimes." He paused, then asked, "Are you feeling any better, Mossystar?"

She shook her head. "Not really. But well enough to sleep, I think." She looked around at the shadows on the forest floor, and down the old thunderpath that stretched into the distance, and said, "It doesn't seem like there's any reason for me to be feeling this way. However…" she paused briefly as a thought struck her, "could you let me know if Flamefall or Larchnose take an exceptionally long time to come back?"

Darkfur's eyes widened. "D-do you think that they…?"

"Possibly. I'm not sure. They should be fine; no one has reported anything out of the ordinary for at least a moon now," Mossystar responded. "But, just in case something does happen…"

Darkfur nodded. "You need to be informed. Understood." He padded over to a spot where the grass was flattened, and sat down, tucking his black tail around his paws.

"Good," she replied. "Either way, I hope that nothing does happen. I've seen too many cats die during the time of my leadership; I'd rather if I didn't have to see very many more." It was true. The only cat older than her in ThunderClan was Woollytuft, a fact which she still found rather jarring.

Darkfur took on a nervous expression. "Y-yes, of course…" he stammered. "…does it feel lonely to be Clan Leader?" he asked.

Mossystar blinked in surprise. _It's been a while since anyone besides Larchnose asked me what it feels like to be Clan Leader,_ she recalled. "It does," she responded. "I don't know if, say, Splashstar or Snowstar do the same thing, but it helps to become close with every new member of this Clan. It might hurt to lose them, but as long as I know that I've done my best, well…" she meowed, trailing off.

"I… I think I understand," said Darkfur. "I hope you didn't mind me asking…"

"Oh, no worries," Mossystar said, touching his shoulder with her tail. "In fact, thank you for understanding. Even if it's brief, it can be nice to discuss this with someone besides our dear medicine cat."

Darkfur's eyes brightened. "Yes, he's certainly something, alright." He lifted a paw and began to groom his face. "Anyways, it was nice talking to you," he mewed, looking at Mossystar. "I suppose I shall hear from someone about how Sootpaw performs on his dawn patrol tomorrow."

She nodded. "And the same to you," she responded. With a final twitch of her tail, she turned and padded back inside the camp, pushing her way through the thorn barrier. She paused for a moment to take a deep breath, and glance around camp, finding nothing out of place.

An idea entered her mind, and began to walk towards Highledge, setting a course to walk by the apprentices' den. She angled her ears toward it, and heard the sound of Cloudpaw's meow, too indistinct for her to make out, followed by some grumbles from the other two inhabitants of the den. Mossystar resisted the urge to let out a _mrrow_ of amusement, and ascended the rocky slope up to her den. _Looks like Cloudpaw's gotten that argument under control,_ she noted.

With one last look back at ThunderClan's camp, she entered her den, padded over to her nest, circled three times, and then curled up in it, burying her nose underneath her tail. She still had not managed to get rid of the unsettled feeling, even after the pleasant conversation with Darkfur. She narrowed her eyes, trying to recall her dream, but it seemed even fuzzier than it had before. _I know this just has to be an ordinary feeling,_ she realized, _but I can't shake the feeling that it isn't. Why? Am I just clinging onto hope and insisting that it has to be ordinary?_

Mossystar thought on it for another few seconds, evaluating all of the existing reassurances that everything was alright. Then, not finding an answer, she yawned and resolved to hope for its absence in the morning. _If it's not gone by then, I'm talking to Larchnose,_ she thought, and then closed her eyes, slipping into an uneasy rest.


	2. Chapter One

**A/N:** Well, this didn't get finished as quickly as I would've liked, but I think I've found a manageable pace. Enjoy!

* * *

Sootpaw was roused from a state of restless dreaming by a sharp poke in his side. He let out a grumble of "Dovepaw, let me sleep…" and curled up tighter in the moss, keeping his eyes firmly shut as he tried to drift back into unconsciousness.

The poke came again, this time feeling like a sharp jab. Sootpaw reared up in his nest, exclaiming, "Dovepaw, get off! That's the second time this – _oh_ ," he mewed as he found himself looking into a pair of narrowed green eyes, which were a slightly different shade of green than his sister's. His mentor, Hollybriar, was the one who had been prodding his side, and was now looking down on him. "Uh…" he stammered, not sure what else to say in his still-bleary state.

"We're on the dawn patrol this morning, or did you forget?" she asked. "Get up, and meet me by the thorn barrier. We've kept Pounceheart and Flamefall waiting for long enough." With that, she swished her tail and quickly padded out of the den.

Sootpaw was left sitting in his nest, staring at the den's entrance in momentary befuddlement. _Dawn patrol! Why didn't my sisters wake me up? They're usually awake at this time… wait…_ His unfocused, bleary eyes took in two unmoving shapes, one gray, the other a paler gray. _Asleep? Aren't they always active in the mornings…? Could the interrupted sleep last night be making them sleep in… no, wait, Dovepaw's been awake at dawn even after going to a Gathering and then night hunting… but wasn't that just one case... whuh? Wait, maybe…_ his thoughts trailed off.

He got up from his nest and took a closer look at Cloudpaw, and then Dovepaw, confirming that they were indeed asleep and not faking it as part of a prank. _So she really is tired enough to sleep in, even if all we did was argue…_ Sootpaw turned around to head back to his nest. Then his amber eyes turned towards the slowly lightening dawn sky. _Mouse-dung! Not again!_ He had become distracted by his own thoughts.

Sootpaw paused to groom a few scraps of moss out of his pelt, then bolted out of the den, and across the floor of the stone hollow to the three cats waiting by the thorn barrier. Hollybriar, sitting with her fluffy black tail curled around her forepaws, was giving him a narrow look of disappointment. "It would be wise to be more punctual in the future, Sootpaw," she mewed.

"But I was only late by a few moments!" he meowed, feeling the need to defend himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Flamefall's tail twitching. The ginger tom was seemingly annoyed, and refused to make eye contact with Sootpaw, but otherwise did not acknowledge him.

"That's still late," Hollybriar countered. She then turned to Pounceheart, who, Sootpaw dimly remembered, was leading the patrol. "Now," she mewed to the white tom, "I believe it's time for us to set out?"

Pounceheart gave Sootpaw a look that was unreadable but not hostile, then nodded, and pushed his way through the thorn barrier. The others followed, Sootpaw bringing up the rear. They paused outside the camp entrance.

Darkfur was there, still keeping watch, although he seemed to be tired. Pounceheart nodded at him as he walked past. Darkfur gave him a relieved look as he got up and walked towards the thorn barrier. As he passed by, he affectionately ran his tail down Sootpaw's back and gave him a soft, knowing look, before disappearing into the thorn barrier.

Sootpaw stared after his father, blinking. _He was on watch last night. Did he hear Dovepaw and I arguing?_ he thought. He shook his head; if Darkfur had heard, then everyone else would have as well. He could not understand his father on most days, but Mistyshade had told him and his sisters that their father loved them very much, and they should never fault him for that.

Pounceheart mewed, "Poolfern wants us to cover the WindClan border, followed by the forest border. We're not expecting any trouble today, but we should be on alert." With that, he set off into the trees, the others following after him.

Hollybriar started up a conversation with Pounceheart; Sootpaw, lagging at the back of the patrol, noticed that she kept an ear pointed in his direction at all times. _I'm not a kit!_ he thought, with a flash of annoyance. However, he quickly guessed that she was doing it to make sure he did not become inattentive and fall behind. Sootpaw found himself caught between indignant outrage and self-loathing due to the possibility that she was right. Frowning, he redirected his focus to the soggy fallen leaves the littered the forest floor, and padded onwards with the rest of the patrol.

* * *

The patrol arrived at the WindClan border shortly after the sun had risen above the horizon. The walk had been mostly silent, with a few small conversations occurring. Sootpaw had noticed Flamefall stopping to stare off into the trees near the forest border every so often, his interest seemingly caught by something. However, the apprentice had dismissed it after finding no unusual scents in that area. Letting out a yawn, he found himself observing a large shadow, created by the higher ground between them and the sun, that was receding from them up the hills.

They leaped over the Moonpool stream, its water shimmering with reflected sunlight. Upon reaching the border, Pounceheart signaled with his tail for the patrol to pause briefly, and tasted the air, checking for WindClan scent. Then he turned back towards them, nodded, and directed them to reset the border markers.

They did the task in silence for several moments, until they were halfway up the border, at which point Sootpaw felt the wind change direction. He paused in his tracks as strong, fresh WindClan scent wafted into his face, carried by the breeze. Wincing, he watched as Pounceheart, Hollybriar, and Flamefall all paused, and flattened their ears, glancing up the hill. "It seems that WindClan has decided to patrol here this morning as well," Hollybriar commented, annoyance in her voice.

"So it seems," Pounceheart mewed in response. He looked back at the rest of the patrol, and used his tail to beckon them towards him. "We're not doing anything besides a normal border patrol. We should be fine," he stated.

"Unless one of us decides to argue with them," Flamefall cut in, angling his ears at Sootpaw.

The apprentice nearly opened his mouth to snap at him, but Hollybriar gave him a stern glare. Her tail lashing, she decidedly turned her head away from Flamefall, and gazed up the hill. _What did I even do?_ Sootpaw thought in annoyance. _It's been nearly two moons since that one time! Why does he feel the need to bring it up now?_

Pounceheart ignored the interruption. "For now, let's wait for them to show up," he ordered, and the patrol fell silent. Sootpaw, irritated and restless, ripped up the ground underneath his unsheathed claws, and lashed his tail. Hollybriar glanced at him, but held her tongue.

After another moment or two, dark shapes appeared at the top of the hill, near the stream. Sootpaw watched as they moved around slightly, before they suddenly paused, and began racing down the hill towards them. One of them was yowling, unfortunately, they were too far away for anyone on the patrol to make out the words.

The WindClan patrol came to a halt in front of the ThunderClan patrol. Fur bristled along the backs of the cats on both patrols as they watched each other from across the border. Sootpaw observed the WindClan patrol; there were four of them. A gray and white she-cat stepped forward to speak. Behind her, he saw a dark tabby tom, and… _Songpaw and Wildpaw?_ Two tabby apprentices, smaller than Sootpaw, were pacing behind the two warriors. He noticed the brown tabby making eye contact with him, then breaking it off. _Didn't I see them at the last Gathering?_

"Miststream and Nightpond," Pounceheart mewed. "Good to see you," he followed, letting the fur on his back lie flat. He twitched his fluffy white tail; Hollybriar's fur stopped bristling, but Sootpaw and Flamefall ignored the silent command.

"Good to see you, too," Miststream responded, her voice sharp. "Now, what is a ThunderClan patrol doing, sitting around on our border? Do you have a message, perhaps?" She narrowed her eyes at Pounceheart, the slow lashing of her tail indicating her suspicion of the patrol.

"We're afraid that we do not," mewed Hollybriar. Pounceheart flicked an ear, but otherwise made no comment. "We were merely doing the dawn patrol when we noticed you upwind."

" _Really,_ " Miststream meowed, the mew almost sounding like a hiss.

 _Who made dirt in your fresh-kill?_ Sootpaw her, he noticed Songpaw and Wildpaw pausing, and angling their ears forward with interest. _Gossip-loving furballs,_ he thought, scoffing.

Nightpond chose this moment to step forward and whisper in Miststream's ear. Sootpaw, straining his ears, could not catch what was being said. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Flamefall doing the same, then shaking his head with a disgusted look. _At least his luck wasn't any better,_ Sootpaw thought, internally grumbling to himself. He watched as Miststream's eyes narrowed further, then, as Nightpond's bright blue eyes widened, she appeared to soften a little bit.

"…Fine," she conceded. Pounceheart and Hollybriar exchanged a glance. "Well then, go ahead and finish your patrol. But don't expect us to be pleased if we find your scent on our side of the border," she finished.

"Yeah!" Songpaw meowed loudly, seemingly choosing this moment to speak up. "We'll rip you to shreds!" Pounceheart winced, and Miststream turned to glare icily at the apprentice for several heartbeats. She flicked her tail, prompting Nightpond to give the silver tabby a cuff over the ear and shove her away from the two patrols, where he then spoke to her in a low, undistinguishable voice. Sootpaw spotted Wildpaw looking at Songpaw with wide eyes.

Sootpaw scoffed. _Seriously?_ "Try it, and you won't like the outcome," he mewed in response to Songpaw. Now it was his turn to receive a cuff over the ear from his mentor. As he ducked underneath Hollybriar's paws, he noticed Wildpaw staring at him with a disturbed, almost shocked look.

"I do wonder what you were _thinking_ , Sootpaw," Hollybriar hissed quietly to him. He froze. Hollybriar glared at him, then turned back to the WindClan patrol. Sootpaw shivered.

Pounceheart dipped his head to Miststream. "I will let you finish your patrol as well," he meowed gently, "and I hope that neither of our apprentices are able to follow up on their threats." Miststream twitched her tail, but nodded, and with a last look over ThunderClan's patrol, directed her patrol to follow her along the border towards the lake. Sootpaw caught a glance from Wildpaw, who was falling behind the rest of the patrol, before the WindClan apprentice turned away to catch up with them.

 _What's up with him?_ Sootpaw wondered. _He was always so quiet at the Gathering, and he didn't seem to be happy when Songpaw said she'd rip us to shreds… but if that's the case, why didn't he like when I said that she wouldn't like the outcome of that? It really doesn't make sense…_ He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a rustle in the grass behind him, and he spun around to catch up with the now-leaving ThunderClan patrol. Thankfully, they did not seem to be very far away, and Pounceheart merely flicked an ear at him as he rejoined them.

"Now," the white tom mewed, "we're going to finish marking this border, mark the forest border, and then backtrack and examine this border again, for any WindClan scent on our side of the border." He paused for a moment, looking at Sootpaw before continuing, "If we find it, we will wait and examine it _before_ we get hostile. Is that clear?"

"Wha – _yes!_ " Sootpaw mewed hastily. He flattened his ears in shame. Then he looked to Hollybriar, who was studying him with a neutral expression on her face. _All I did was make one mouse-brained comment…_

"That's good," Pounceheart replied. "Now, come on. We still have another border to mark." With that, he waved his tail, and set off up the slope at a brisk pace, the others copying him.

Sootpaw shivered, dreading the exhausting effort of marking both borders and then backtracking. He then looked at Flamefall. The ginger tom had not said a word during the border confrontation. _Was he even paying attention at all?_ he wondered, realizing that he did not know the answer.

Looking away, he cast his gaze up the slope, and the golden sunlight that illuminated the grass. The shadow from before was now quite far from them now, and shrinking, but the shade it cast remained. _At least it's sunny, and not…_ Sootpaw stopped himself. Now that thought was asking for StarClan to give him misery. He resolved that he would be pleased when the patrol ended, and continued onwards alongside the three warriors.

* * *

The patrol turned the corner where the borders met, crossed the stream again, and continued along the forest border. Eventually, as they padded beneath trees whose leaves were turning various shades of red and yellow, a strange scent reached their noses on the breeze. Sootpaw wrinkled his nose. _What is that?_ he wondered. _We'd better not have more trouble after what happened with WindClan._

Pounceheart, Hollybriar, and Flamefall came to a halt, and looked in the direction opposite ThunderClan's territory. Fur bristling, Pounceheart mewed, "This scent is traveling downwind. Smells like a rogue or loner."

Hollybriar nodded. "Fresh, too. And strong. They must be close by." She scrutinized the trees on the other side of the border. Sootpaw noticed Flamefall doing the same thing, only for his expression to be replaced by an unreadable one.

Pounceheart dipped his head. "Yes, indeed." Then the white tom opened his jaws and let out a loud, demanding yowl. Sootpaw twitched his ears as it echoed through the treetops around them, and peered into the undergrowth before them. After a few heartbeats, he heard an answering yowl and the sound of crashing undergrowth.

Two cats burst out of the brambles and paused to stand before them, tails lashing and ears flattened. The ThunderClan patrol's fur began to bristle, and Sootpaw and Flamefall unsheathed their claws. _Rogues. Of course,_ the dark gray apprentice remarked to himself. He studied them; one of them was a large black tomcat with a lean frame and a gray spot on his forehead, and the other was a small, skinny brown tabby tom whose yellow eyes fixed the patrol with a piercing stare. Both of them had pelts marked with a few scars.

Sootpaw felt a tail brush his shoulder, and turned to see Hollybriar, her ivy-colored gaze filled with disapproval as it focused on his unsheathed claws. He sheathed them, and her face softened, eyes turning back to the rogues.

Pounceheart studied the pair of rogues, then mewed gently, "Greetings. What brings you so close to ThunderClan territory?" He kept a non-hostile, but cautious stance.

The black tom stepped forward. "ThunderClan? What is ThunderClan?" He looked warily at the patrol. "And what's this nonsense about territory? We thought forest cats were all wanderers," he finished, his mew almost sounding like a low growl.

"I take it you are unfamiliar with our part of the forest," Hollybriar meowed. She sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. "We are part of ThunderClan, one of five Clans. We have lived in the territory near the lake for many generations," she continued. "Right now, we stand at the border between us and the rest of the woods."

"And don't forget that," Flamefall said harshly. He flicked his tail back and forth as the rogues narrowed their eyes at him. "We are quite fierce."

The black tom gazed at him for a moment, and nodded. "I am Quiver, and this is Squeaker," he said, indicating the lithe brown tabby beside him. "The two of us and our little colony were recently forced to leave the Twolegplace due to the destruction of our home." He paused for a moment, seemingly losing his focus. "We set out for the forest in hopes of finding a new place to live."

"We've settled down not far from here, so some of us can heal," Squeaker cut in, with a voice true to his name. "Badgers are just as vicious as the visiting forest cats always claimed." He twitched an ear.

"Wha – badger? Where?" Sootpaw mewed, feeling a shiver travel up his spine as he pictured the monstrous black and white animal. He looked at the two rogues with alarm, and noticed Hollybriar glance at him, then nodding. _What?_

"About a day's walk away," Squeaker answered. The rogue fixed him with an intense stare, tilting his head slightly. "Other side of the pool in the rocky hollow. We gave it a few scratches."

Pounceheart opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and nodded. Then he stepped forward, and meowed, "Thank you for sharing that with us. We'll make sure to inform WindClan." He looked at Quiver. "My name is Pounceheart, and these are Hollybriar, Flamefall, and Sootpaw," he continued, indicating each cat. "For now, we'll leave you alone as long as you don't trespass or hunt on our territory. And we'll speak with Mossystar to see if there's any assistance we can offer you," he declared. Sootpaw blinked in surprise, and spotted Flamefall giving Pounceheart an odd look.

Quiver's eyes widened, and Sootpaw saw Squeaker giving Pounceheart a look of relief. "While it's not desperately needed, we're grateful for your offer to provide aid," the black tom meowed evenly. Then his eyes darkened. "However, if this is a trick and you in fact wish to attack us, know that we don't take offenses like that kindly."

"Understood," Hollybriar replied, dipping her head to Quiver. "Our Clans are much the same way about such matters."

"Would you be able to return here at dusk?" Pounceheart asked. Quiver nodded. "Good," he mewed. "I'll ask the dusk patrol to meet with you. I hope… ah," he trailed off, and lowered his head to think. "I hope your ancestors will be kind to you in the meantime," he settled.

"That's an unusual way of saying good-bye," Quiver remarked, head tilted to one side. "Thank you for understanding and offering to help us. May you have good hunting," he meowed softly. Nodding to Pounceheart, he turned around and flicked his tail, signaling Squeaker to turn and follow him away from the border, and into the trees.

As they vanished into the undergrowth, Sootpaw noticed Squeaker cast a glance over his shoulder at him, before disappearing almost soundlessly. It did not seem to be a hostile look, but rather a curious one. _What's that all about?_ He wondered. _Did I do something to catch his interest?_ He thought for a heartbeat, then, failing to arrive at a conclusion, he let his fur fall flat, and looked back at the rest of the dawn patrol.

Flamefall was glaring at the place where the rogues had disappeared, while Hollybriar turned to Pounceheart, who was observing the spot with a curious look. "I suppose one of us should run back to camp and inform Mossystar," she mewed to him.

Pounceheart turned away from the border, and nodded to her. "Go, and take Sootpaw with you. Flamefall and I can finish marking the border," he ordered. He turned to Sootpaw. "You're probably itching to get back to camp, and I can't imagine that re-checking WindClan's border will do anything for your patience."

"Actually, I believe Sootpaw has been quite patient this morning," Hollybriar meowed. She gave the apprentice what appeared to be a fond look. Sootpaw looked at her in surprise, eyes wide. "Since he also took the initiative of checking the location of that badger, I believe he's earned it."

Sootpaw's tail shot up in the air. _She's praising me?_ he thought, startled. _Wait…_ he ran over the events of the morning in his mind. _I guess I've been pretty attentive, even though she didn't like what I said to Songpaw._

Pounceheart nodded to Hollybriar. "We'll see you back at camp," he meowed, as Flamefall observed them with a mild expression.

"And I look forward to hearing what you find on WindClan's border," she responded. Sootpaw found himself letting out a sigh of relief as he realized that he would not have to double back and check it again. "Come, Sootpaw," Hollybriar ordered as she stood, turning towards the direction of camp. He followed along after her.

With one last exchange of nods, the cats on the patrol parted, the other half disappearing into the undergrowth. Sootpaw glanced up at the sun in the sky. _So, on one patrol, we've met WindClan cats and rogues, and we fought with neither of them,_ he realized. _Why are we even learning battle moves if this is the most eventful thing that takes place?_ he wondered, not for the first time.

 _However..._ Pausing in his thoughts, he flattened his ears. _What if this goes wrong, and Mossystar doesn't offer help?_ While his leader was nice enough, he had never seen her reaction to a situation like this. He thought back to his kithood, when a patrol chased off a rogue that was stealing prey during the harsh leaf-bare. He shivered, realizing that he did not know what that meant for Mossystar's response to Quiver and his group.

Hollybriar glanced back at him, taking in his flattened ears and concerned amber gaze. "You can calm down," she mewed. Sootpaw looked at her uncertainly. "Mossystar is a fair leader. There might be a misunderstanding or two at first, but she'll resolve this peacefully. Now, come on, let's go home and let her know about this," she finished. Twitching her whiskers, she looked away and focused on the path ahead of them.

As Sootpaw followed behind his mentor, pushing their way through the bracken and brambles, he recalled the day's events. _Waking up late, Dovepaw, Darkfur, Flamefall, WindClan, Songpaw and Wildpaw, Quiver and Squeaker, Pounceheart, Hollybriar… the rest of the day had better not be any more eventful._ He shook his head, and angled his ears forward. _Now that I've thought that, StarClan's probably going to make it eventful just to spite me,_ he concluded, resigning himself to his fate.

Brushing past dewdrop-laden bushes, he began to wonder about his sisters, and his face fell as he realized that Dovepaw would be asking him questions for the rest of the day. He resolved to get inside the apprentices' den as soon as possible upon returning to camp.


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Oops. Was not intending for this update to take a month. First there was a period of slacking off and lack of enthusiasm, then I ran straight into finals. From now on, I will try to get these out every 1-2 weeks.

Also. I finished reading The Raging Storm; because of this, I have made a few minor word tweaks to Chapter 1, to reflect the implication that the WindClan/ThunderClan border is no longer at the stream leading to the moonpool.

I'd better shut up now. Enjoy!

* * *

Cloudpaw padded into the elders' den with a large bundle of moss between her teeth, and another one pressed underneath her chin. She dropped both onto a sizable pile of the green plant, right next to a pile of bracken fronds, and spit out the green sprigs caught in her teeth. Glancing down at her chest, she found bits of green clinging to the pale gray fluff. _I guess I'll have to wash myself thoroughly later,_ she remarked to herself with a sigh.

"Ah, I see that we'll be able to get off the cold ground soon," a rumbly voice mewed from nearby. Cloudpaw looked up to meet the eyes of Woollytuft. The old brown tom was sitting with his paws tucked underneath him in a corner of the den, tail wrapped around himself. She noted to herself that the tom had been sitting in his nest when she last left the den.

A _mrrow_ of amusement issued from a white she-cat that was sprawled out in one of the den's two nests. "You're only there because you think your nest is too prickly," Beetlewing meowed. She twitched her fluffy gray tail, and turned her attention towards Cloudpaw. "That being said, I'm looking forward to the feel of fresh bedding."

"I'm glad that you appreciate it," the apprentice mewed. She sniffed the air. "Has Larchnose visited to deal with your aching joints?"

Beetlewing shook her head. "No. I looked out into the clearing shortly after you went to fetch him. Mossystar looked like she wanted a word with him." She paused, expression taking on a look of worry. "She looked concerned about something. I wonder if there is anything going on."

"Well, she'd better hurry up," Woollytuft mewed. "My joints will be aching if I have to stay on the ground for any longer." He fidgeted in his spot in the corner.

Cloudpaw nodded, and started to take apart Woollytuft's abandoned nest. _But first…_ She lightly felt around the nest with her paws, and felt a prick. "I'm sure Mossystar has a good reason to be taking her time," she meowed. She prodded the spot where the prick had come from, and after several prods, she frowned. Unsheathing a single claw, she cut out the offending piece of moss and examined it. "Do you know who made this nest?" She held up the uncovered piece of root with her paw.

"Your siblings did, if I'm not mistaken," Beetlewing answered. She looked at the piece of root with amusement in her eyes. "I remember that they were bickering while they were cleaning our den."

Cloudpaw let out a sigh as she pushed the remnants of Woollytuft's nest to the side. _Sootpaw and Dovepaw can be so bad at being apprentices sometimes. And for StarClan's sake, I wish that the two mouse-brains would stop arguing!_ she thought, remembering her rude awakening in the middle of the night. "I'll make sure to talk to them," she mewed.

"Good," Woollytuft rumbled. "I'd rather if the ground didn't become my permanent nest." Cloudpaw and Beetlewing let out small chuckles, and the apprentice busied herself with reconstructing the elderly tom's nest.

After a few moments, a shadow fell over the den entrance. Cloudpaw looked up, and twitched her tail as Larchnose padded into the den with a bundle of herbs clutched in his mouth. He dropped them on the floor of the den, and Cloudpaw noticed a few deep blue berries rolling away. "Sorry for being late," he mewed in a serene voice. "A dear friend of mine felt the need for a talk."

Beetlewing nodded at him. "Understood. Is that for my joints?" She pointed at the herbs with her tail. Cloudpaw, meanwhile, looked at the berries and contemplated whether she should roll them back toward the leaves.

"Indeed they are," Larchnose mewed. Beetlewing pushed herself to her paws, and the pale gray tabby picked up the leaves, with the exception of what Cloudpaw recognized as a dock leaf, and began to chew them.

Cloudpaw, patting down a piece of moss in Woollytuft's new nest, looked curiously at the medicine cat. _What was Mossystar talking with him about?_ she wondered. She knew it was not her business, but was awfully curious. "Hi," she mewed lightly. "I heard you were talking with Mossystar?"

Larchnose pricked his ears, pointing them in her direction. He spat out the chewed-up leaves onto the dock leaf, and began reaching for the escaped berries and rolling them back towards him. "I was," he replied. He dropped a couple of berries into the poultice, and brought his paw down on them, crushing the berries to a pulp. Beetlewing observed him with a neutral expression. "I'm afraid she asked me to keep it secret."

Cloudpaw dipped her head. "Is something bad going to happen?" she asked. _I think I already know the answer to this, but…_

"Yes, please tell us if there's an ominous prophecy of doom and despair headed our way," Woollytuft meowed, eyes fixed on Larchnose.

"We don't know," the medicine cat mewed evenly. He finished crushing the berries into the poultice, and, dipping a paw in the mixture, began rubbing it onto Beetlewing's joints. The elderly she-cat stiffened, but relaxed after a few heartbeats.

Cloudpaw tried to return her attention to finishing Woollytuft's nest. However, she was interrupted at the sounds of a commotion outside the den. Larchnose paused in his work, and looked towards the entrance.

"Oh, is that prophecy strolling into our camp now?" Woollytuft mewed, with a slight chuckle.

"I sure hope it isn't," Beetlewing added. She pricked her ears towards the den entrance. "Why don't you check it out, Cloudpaw?" The apprentice looked up and blinked in surprise as the elder continued. "Sounds like your brother is out there."

"He is?" Cloudpaw paused and strained her ears. She could hear a voice that she recognized as Hollybriar's. _They were both on the dawn patrol, so that's good enough._ She finished patting down the last piece of moss in Woollytuft's new nest. Looking up, she nodded and mewed, "Woollytuft, your nest is finished." Then Cloudpaw padded out the entrance, noticing Woollytuft getting up from the floor out of the corner of her eye.

When she pushed her way into the clearing, Cloudpaw noticed Hollybriar and Sootpaw standing before a contemplative Mossystar. Poolfern was approaching them, and the ThunderClan cats who were in the clearing were watching them, with the exception of Cherrykit and Adderkit, who were playing with a ball of moss. _Where's Pounceheart and Flamefall?_ Cloudpaw wondered. _What happened to make them send Hollybriar and my brother back early?_ She sat down a few paces outside the elders' den, gave a friendly blink to Sootpaw, and focused on the conversation.

"They said that the badger was near the Moonpool?" Mossystar mewed. She swished her fluffy tail. Looking beside her, Cloudpaw noticed Sootpaw stiffen. She could not blame him; badgers were frightening.

Hollybriar nodded. "Yes. It seems that they wounded it, but whether they managed to get rid of it, that remains to be seen."

"And even if they drove it away, it might have moved to Clan territory," Poolfern added. She glanced at Mossystar. "Should we warn WindClan?"

"Yes," Mossystar agreed, looking up at the tall black and white she-cat.

Poolfern nodded. Looking around the clearing, she beckoned with her tail to Jumptail and Cinderspot. The two warriors approached her. "Send a message to WindClan that we encountered some rogues who say that they fought a badger near the Moonpool," she ordered.

The two cats nodded. "We'll try to catch the attention of a hunting patrol," Cinderspot mewed. Jumptail cast a glance at Cherrykit and Adderkit, then turned back to the dark gray she-cat. Together, the two warriors dashed out of camp.

Hollybriar gazed after them as they left. There was silence for a moment, then Mossystar mewed, "These rogues. Quiver and Squeaker, right?" Hollybriar nodded. "Could I get a description, for any cat who might see them?"

"Quiver is a lean black tomcat, and Squeaker is a skinny brown tabby," Hollybriar responded.

"Q-Quiver's got a gray spot on his forehead!" Sootpaw chimed in, starting off with a stammer. Cloudpaw tilted her head. "And Squeaker has bright yellow eyes!"

Mossystar nodded. "Thank you, Sootpaw," she meowed gently. "As for now…" The tortoiseshell looked around the camp, then let out a sigh. "When Darkfur wakes up, let him know that Larchnose, Pounceheart, and I will be accompanying his border patrol," she ordered. Larchnose poked his head out of the elders' den in response to his name, a curious look on his face. "I'd like to meet this group, and there's some things to be discussed with them," Mossystar finished. She flicked an ear towards the medicine cat, and he retreated back into the depths of the den.

"Are you going to follow up on Pounceheart's offer?" Hollybriar asked. Cloudpaw frowned. She had clearly missed something.

Mossystar took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yes. Since it seems that we have avoided hostilities with the rogues so far, it would be wise to do so." With one last twitch of her tail, she padded away and sat down outside the medicine den. Beckoning Poolfern to join her, she fixed her gaze on the elders' den, and wrapped her tail around her paws.

Cloudpaw watched as Hollybriar and Sootpaw exchanged a glance and a couple quiet words, then parted. _I'll have to find someone to tell me what happened… oh, wait!_ She looked back at the elders' den, then decided that Beetlewing's nest could wait a minute. "Hey! Sootpaw!" she called out, waving her tail.

Sootpaw walked hastily to the apprentices' den, not seeming to notice her. "Sootpaw! Wait!" Cloudpaw padded over to him, cutting him off before he could get there. He halted and turned to face her with an annoyed expression on his face. "What happened during the dawn patrol?" she asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Sootpaw responded. He turned back towards the den.

"No! I was in the elders' den!" Cloudpaw mewed. "I didn't hear anything before Poolfern sent Jumptail and Cinderspot to WindClan."

"She did?" Sootpaw asked, and he paused. Then his eyes widened. "O-of course she would. I knew that," he stammered out. Cloudpaw gave him a mild look. He seemed to consider something for a moment, then mewed, "I'll tell you later. Right now, I want to avoid getting questions from a certain nosy pigeon." He nodded at the apprentices' den.

 _Nosy pigeon… oh! Except…_ "Isn't Dovepaw on a hunting patrol right now?" Cloudpaw pointed out.

Sootpaw stopped in his tracks again. "Really?" he asked, an indecipherable expression on his face. He twitched his tail.

"Yes," Cloudpaw replied. "I saw her leaving with Snaketail, Iceblossom, and Dapplemouse."

"Oh – er – then I'll just…" Sootpaw mewed, then sat down, and shook his head. "Go over, uh, there, and…"

Cloudpaw sighed. "Why don't you just tell me about the patrol, and I'll fill in Dovepaw when she gets back?"

Sootpaw studied her, then narrowed his eyes. "This better not be a prank of some kind," he meowed.

"It's not. I promise." She gave her brother what she hoped was a truthful look, and sat down.

"Fine, then," Sootpaw agreed. He glanced to where Mossystar and Poolfern were waiting by the medicine den. "We went to the WindClan border. We found a WindClan border patrol with Songpaw and Wildpaw, going the opposite direction. Pounceheart and Miststream said some things to each other, and then we went our separate ways." He paused, and took a breath.

"Songpaw and Wildpaw?" Cloudpaw tipped her head. _They seemed like a nice pair of apprentices during the Gathering._ "How are they?"

"Songpaw is being Songpaw. Wildpaw, I don't know what's up with him," Sootpaw answered. Cloudpaw gave him a look of concern. "He kept giving Songpaw and I odd looks," he clarified. Cloudpaw relaxed. "After we met the patrol, we finished marking the border, then went to mark the forest border. We scented a couple of rogues. Pounceheart yowled to them, and they showed up." He paused, seemingly thinking about something. "You said you didn't hear anything before Poolfern sent Jumptail and Cinderspot with the message?"

"Yes," Cloudpaw confirmed. She wrapped her tail around her paws.

"So… you heard about Quiver and Squeaker?" Sootpaw tentatively asked.

Cloudpaw nodded. _Huh… it seemed like he wasn't paying attention while they discussed the message, but he figured out afterwards that I'd know anything that came after that?_ she wondered. _That's pretty clever of him._

Sootpaw continued, "It was those two. Pounceheart asked them what they doing so close to our territory, then they introduced themselves. They said that their group had been forced out of Twolegplace and they went to the forest. Then they mentioned the badger, and said that it had injured their cats," he paused. Cloudpaw's eyes widened in concern. "That's when Pounceheart introduced us, and told them that they could stay put if they didn't mess with us, and he'd see if we could help them." Another pause, as he caught his breath. "Then he arranged for them to meet the dusk patrol, then they left, and he sent us back to camp," he finished. He licked his paw, and then swiped it over his ear.

Cloudpaw thought for a heartbeat. _That definitely sounds amazing. But I don't think he's mentioning everything._ "What do you think of the rogues?" she asked, tilting her head.

Sootpaw hesitated for a moment before answering. "Squeaker is weird," he started. "Lives up to his name. Also seemed curious about me for whatever reason." He shook his head. "I don't know of anything I could've done to catch his interest."

"Huh… did you say anything to him?" Cloudpaw asked.

"I just asked where the badger was when he mentioned it, that's all," Sootpaw mewed, a little too quickly. Cloudpaw frowned.

"Hmm…" _So this probably has to do with how he asked it. Or how he was behaving before he asked it. He's not gonna give me a straight answer on either,_ Cloudpaw concluded. "Maybe he thinks it's good that you decided to check where it was?" she mewed.

"I don't think that's it," Sootpaw said. He shifted his paws nervously. "H-he's probably just weird, that's all," he mewed, then paused. "Anyways, uh, Quiver seems like an honorable cat." He looked away, at some undetermined point on the other side of camp. "A-and shouldn't you be getting –"

"Incoming!" announced a shrill voice. Both apprentices turned to watch as a ball of green went flying through the air, until –

"Ow!" cried Sootpaw, as the moss-ball made impact with his shoulder and splattered all over his dark gray fur. "Watch where you're throwing that thing!" he hissed in annoyance as a pair of smaller cats, one brown and ginger, the other a yellow tabby, skidded to a halt in front of him and Cloudpaw. She looked at the two kits with amusement.

"Sorry!" Cherrykit squeaked. She looked at them with wide, honest eyes. "We didn't mean to throw it over here!"

"Shellkit told us not to throw it near the nursery!" Adderkit joined in. Then he paused, stared at Sootpaw's moss-covered pelt, and let out a _mrrow._ "Your fur looks funny!"

Sootpaw lashed his tail, and turned his head toward Cloudpaw, eyes communicating a silent plea for help. She considered it for a heartbeat. _This is very amusing, but…_ "That's alright. Now go play somewhere else for now," she told the two kits. She scanned the camp, then waved her tail at its center. "That area looks pretty clear at the moment."

Cherrykit blinked at her, then turned to Adderkit. "Come on!" she meowed, and swatted the moss ball to the center of camp. She raced to follow it as it soared through the air. Adderkit glanced at the two apprentices, then chased after his sister. Together, they pounced on the moss ball as it landed, sending it flying, and tried to swat it out of the air, making excited squeaks as they dove for it.

Cloudpaw watched them with bemusement, then turned back to Sootpaw. Her brother was grooming the scraps of moss out of his pelt. She thought for a moment. _Before the kits showed up, he was trying to distract me for some reason. He's probably going to be defensive about it if I press any more._ She remembered one time where she did press him on something he was defensive about, and her eyes narrowed. _This doesn't look like anything serious, so no need for that._ "What were we talking about again?" she mewed.

Sootpaw blinked at her. "Oh, uh, I was just saying that you should be getting back to the elders' den," he answered. Then he looked at something behind Cloudpaw. "Looks like Larchnose is leaving."

Cloudpaw turned to observe the elders' den. Larchnose had just pushed his way through the entrance. He gazed at her, then padded away to join Mossystar and Poolfern, his gentle paw steps making almost no sound. She watched as the three of them mewed greetings, then entered the medicine cat den. With a sign, she looked back to the entrance of the elders' den. _Beetlewing probably wants that new nest now,_ she thought. She looked back to her brother. "I guess I should," she meowed. "I'll make sure to keep an eye out for Dovepaw."

"Good," replied Sootpaw. She thought she could hear relief in his voice. "I'm going to get some sleep. Want to share fresh-kill later?" he asked.

Cloudpaw nodded, feeling surprised at the offer. _Why isn't he getting something to eat now?_ She glanced at the fresh-kill pile, noticing that only a few scrawny, unappetizing pieces of prey were left over from the previous day. _Must be waiting for the hunting patrol to come back._ "Yes, I'd like that," she answered.

Sootpaw nodded. "See you later," he meowed. Then he turned and disappeared into the apprentices' den. Cloudpaw gazed at the entrance for a moment, then turned around and padded across camp to the elders' den.

She glanced at the two playful kits as she passed by. _It's hard to believe they're still kits,_ she remarked to herself. Cherrykit, Adderkit, and their littermates had grown a lot since she and her siblings were apprenticed. _We're going to have new denmates soon,_ she realized. _Who are their mentors going to be?_ She watched Cherrykit and Adderkit tumble around as they chased, pounced on, and swatted the ball of moss across the camp.

Cloudpaw could think about their mentors later. Right now, she needed to focus on doing what Brackenbelly ordered her to do. Her mentor was chatting with Hollybriar and Mistyshade on the other side of camp. Cloudpaw did not want to let her down, especially not in front of her mother. She turned her thoughts to Beetlewing's nest. Tearing her gaze away from the squealing kits, Cloudpaw padded into the elders' den, the leaves rustling softly as they brushed her pale gray fur.

* * *

"…and that's how SkyClan was persuaded to return after Tigerstar's greed drove them away," Beetlewing meowed. She was settled into her new nest, looking quite comfortable. Woollytuft was snoring softly in his new nest.

Cloudpaw looked at the two elders, feeling pleased that they seemed delighted with her work. "You're a good storyteller, Beetlewing," she mewed. The elder rarely missed details and always spoke clearly and energetically. Cloudpaw enjoyed listening to her.

Beetlewing nodded. "Thank you. Now, if only I could get those kits to sit still long enough for them to listen…" She turned her head to peer out of the den entrance.

Cloudpaw followed her gaze. _Those two must have a lot of energy._ Cherrykit and Adderkit were still tumbling around with their moss-ball, looking no less energetic than when they hurled the moss-ball at Sootpaw. She spotted Waspkit watching them, occasionally making shy movements as if he was tempted to join in.

"…is that the first hunting patrol returning?" Beetlewing asked. Cloudpaw looked away from the kits to observe the camp entrance. She spotted Iceblossom, Dapplemouse, and Snaketail padding out of the thorn tunnel to the fresh-kill pile, jaws laden with prey. They were followed by Dovepaw, who held her tail high in the air as she carried a large squirrel. As Cloudpaw watched her sister drop her catch on the fresh-kill pile, Poolfern approached the four cats. The patrol turned toward the deputy, and began to speak in low voices, before the group of cats parted and began to disperse.

Cloudpaw watched as Dovepaw immediately veered toward the apprentices' den. _I made a promise._ She looked at Beetlewing.

The elder nodded. "Go talk with her. I've kept you long enough," she mewed. Then she glanced at the snoring old tom in the other nest. "I should probably grab that squirrel for myself and Woollytuft before someone else takes it."

Cloudpaw looked; sure enough, Jumptail was padding over to the fresh-kill pile while Hazelblaze eagerly eyed it from her position by the nursery. _Him and Cinderspot must be back from taking that message to WindClan._ The apprentice padded out of the den, followed closely by Beetlewing. She dipped her head to Beetlewing as the two split up, and turned to the apprentices' den. "Dovepaw!" she called out, intercepting her sister at the entrance.

Dovepaw came to an abrupt halt, and her tail stuck straight up. "Cloudpaw!" she mewed excitedly. "Poolfern told us that the dawn patrol encountered rogues! I thought I heard that Sootpaw would be on the dawn patrol!" she continued, before pausing to take a breath.

Cloudpaw nodded. "Yes! He told me about it, then went to sleep," she confirmed, and pointed her tail at the apprentices' den entrance.

Her sister glanced at the den, clearly excited. "Great! I'll get him to tell me, then –"

"Actually, I can tell you about it," Cloudpaw cut in. She gazed at Dovepaw imploringly. "Let's not wake him up after last night."

Dovepaw's eyes widened. "Aww, but I like it when he gets grumpy!" she mewed. Cloudpaw looked at her in disbelief. "The annoyed kind of grumpy, that is," she clarified. "Not when he gets upset."

"Well, let's just wait until I'm done telling you, okay?" Cloudpaw suggested. "We agreed to share fresh-kill later; maybe you could join us?"

"Yes! That sounds great!" Dovepaw squeaked.

"Okay." Cloudpaw mewed. "Now then, want to hear about the patrol?" She pointed with her tail to a flattened patch of grass near the den.

"Yes!" Dovepaw meowed excitedly. She got up and bounced over to the patch of grass, settling down and turning to give her pelt a quick grooming.

Cloudpaw let out a small _mrrow_ of amusement, then followed her. As she sat down, she surveyed the camp. Dapplemouse and Cinderspot were sharing a blackbird outside the warriors' den, conversing about the best places to find prey, while Hollybriar and Snaketail ate nearby. Waspkit had joined his siblings' game, leaping quite gracefully after the moss-ball. Beetlewing and Dovepaw's squirrel had disappeared; an annoyed Jumptail was glaring in the direction of the elders' den.

Brackenbelly and Iceblossom were standing close together in a secluded spot, their ginger tabby and white pelts shaded by the rock wall. Cloudpaw narrowed her eyes, noting their tense postures and quiet conversation. _What's going on there?_

"Hey! Cloudpaw!" She turned to see Dovepaw peering at her curiously. "Are you thinking about things like Sootpaw does?" her sister asked.

Cloudpaw shook her head. "No. Just got distracted by something." She relaxed, and flicked an ear. "Shall I tell you about the dawn patrol now?"

"Absolutely! Yes!" Dovepaw replied, fidgeting slightly, with eagerness shining in her green eyes.

 _Does she ever run out of energy?_ Cloudpaw wondered. She contemplated the events of the morning as she tried to decide where to start her story. _There's rogues around, and they don't seem like they're going to be trouble. But Mossystar was feeling disconcerted about something before they appeared._ With a suppressed shiver, she remembered Woollytuft's joke about a prophecy strolling into camp.

 _Whether there is a prophecy or not, this doesn't bode well. I'd better be prepared._ She studied Dovepaw. _All three of us should be._ She pushed her worries away, focusing on the story. "So, the dawn patrol set out as usual, going to the WindClan border…"

"Did WindClan show up? Did they fight?" Dovepaw asked impatiently, eyes wide.

Cloudpaw let out a small sigh. "Yes to them showing up, no to the fighting," she responded. "Songpaw and Wildpaw were there with their mentors – you remember them from the Gathering, right? Well…"

They fell into a rhythm of Cloudpaw relating part of the story, Dovepaw interrupting her with a question, and Cloudpaw answering and continuing the tale. _Some things don't change,_ the pale gray apprentice noted to herself. _They'd better not. I doubt that any of us could withstand something that could crush Dovepaw's spirits._ With that thought, she refocused on thoughts of sharing prey with her siblings later in the day.


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N** : Apologies for the (slightly shorter) delay, and expect the next chapter within a month. Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey, um… Dovepaw?"

"Yes?" She replied distractedly, not looking away from the rays of sunlight striking the clouds near the sun. It was always so beautiful. She felt a stab of envy towards the birds; they must have an excellent view. _Maybe they could even fly to the sun!_ she wondered, with a touch of excitement.

"Couldyoushowmehowtodoahuntingcrouchplease?" the small, wavering voice mewed, shaking her out of her reverie. She glanced down to see Waspkit looking at her shyly, his fidgeting paws giving away his excitement.

"Of course!" Dovepaw answered cheerfully. She leaped up from her position, and guided the brown tabby kit over to a clear patch of grass, long shadows accompanying them. The sun would be setting soon. She could see a large cloud swiftly approaching the sun, and a steady breeze had risen up. Woollytuft and Beetlewing were sitting outside their den, soaking up the remaining sunlight. _I think they're going to go inside soon!_ she thought. _This breeze is cold! Or at least, they always seem to think so!_

Waspkit looked up at her, curiosity showing in his yellow eyes. Dovepaw gazed at him. _He's gotten so big since I left the nursery!_ "You ready?" she asked, feeling excited.

The kit nodded. "Y-yes!" he mewed, stammering out of nervousness.

Dovepaw nodded. "Pay attention!" she ordered gently. Waspkit tried to hold still, watching her intently. She glanced at him, used her tail to point to a stray leaf that was nearby, then turned toward the leaf. She dropped into a hunting crouch, and began to creep up on it, her gray tail trailing just above the blades of grass.

"Are you gonna pounce?" Waspkit mewed. Dovepaw jolted a little, as her concentration was broken.

She flicked an ear in the kit's direction, silently begging him to be quiet as a mouse… _no, those squeak a lot._ Maybe a rock? _No, those make loud sounds when you_ _hit them._ Moss? _That's pretty quiet… oh!_ She glanced down to realize that she had crept off-balance to the leaf, and was now just a fox-length or two away from it. _Oops!_ Dovepaw quickly corrected her stance, crept another mouse-length forward, and then pounced in one quick movement, slamming her forepaws down on the leaf with a satisfying _crunch._

Dovepaw turned around to look at Waspkit, her tail in the air and the leaf clenched between her teeth. "Wow!" he mewed, an amazed expression on his face. Then his gaze fell on something off to the side, and he paused, looking shy.

 _What's he looking at?_ Dovepaw wondered. She followed the kit's gaze, and spotted Darkfur watching the two of them with a delighted expression. _Oh!_ "Hi, father!" she called out, the leaf falling to the ground. She walked over to him with a spring in her step. Darkfur nodded, and shyly beckoned with his tail for Waspkit to join them. The kit hesitated for a heartbeat, but quickly scampered after Dovepaw.

"That was a good hunting crouch!" Darkfur praised. "You c-could've done it better, but it was good!" he continued. He looked at the two of them with pride. "A-and Waspkit, good of you to show interest in what the apprentices learn!" Waspkit beamed at him, chest puffed out. "N-now run along and go teach that to your littermates. Shellkit's been watching us this whole time."

The two younger cats turned. Dovepaw saw a flash of beige fur disappear into the depths of the nursery. Beside her, Waspkit let out an embarrassed squeak. "Wha – but I can't – h-how do you expect me to –"

"H-how about you ask Mistyshade to help explain it?" Darkfur suggested, a mixture of surprise and guilt upon his face.

"O-oh, okay!" Waspkit mewed. "Thanks!" He raced off towards the nursery, attracting an amused glance from a nearby Mossystar. The Clan Leader looked at them, gave Darkfur a wink, then returned to sharing prey with Poolfern and Larchnose. Darkfur's expression became indecipherable as he stared after the brown tabby kit.

 _Why…?_ Dovepaw wondered, confusion swimming through her head. _Oh, wait, maybe…_ "Are you gonna mentor –"

"M-maybe!" Darkfur interrupted her. "I-i don't know yet, so don't go spreading it around!" he mewed, twitching an ear.

She looked at him with wide, innocent eyes and nodded. _I'm totally telling Sootpaw and Cloudpaw about that later!_ "I won't!" she replied.

Darkfur studied her for a moment, assessing whether she was telling the truth. "I guess you can tell your mother and siblings. No one else, okay?"

 _I was already planning on that!_ "Yes, father!" Dovepaw responded.

He nodded. "Good." He paused for a moment, gazing at where Waspkit disappeared into the nursery. "Well… I know I'll probably mentor one of them. I've thought about whether he's a good choice," he started. "He's very shy. I was like that as an apprentice." Dovepaw tilted her head, listening curiously. "But I don't know if I'd be able to encourage him enough."

The apprentice paused for a heartbeat, thinking. "But you've always been able to encourage me!" she mewed, giving her father a sincere look. "Sootpaw and Cloudpaw, too!"

"T-thank you for saying so," Darkfur replied. "But it took me a while to figure you three out, and I still don't understand you some days. If Waspkit's going to be my apprentice, then I need to be quicker," he pointed out. He glanced up at the clouds approaching the sun. "M-maybe I should take Cherrykit instead. She seems like she'll make an easy apprentice."

Dovepaw thought for a moment. "But Waspkit is so nice, and eager to learn! He really likes it when we show him what we've learned!"

Darkfur nodded. "That's true. I'm just too unsure," he mewed quietly. "Well. I've got another moon before I have to decide. N-no need to pick one now…" He twitched his tail. "So, umm…" He paused to think of what to say. "I hear that you were on a hunting patrol earlier."

"Yes!" She felt a rush of excitement pass through her; she was still impressed with herself for catching that squirrel. "I caught a really big squirrel!"

Darkfur let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. "G-good work!" he praised. Then he looked at the crumpled leaf that Dovepaw had pounced on. "D-do you want to show me some of your hunting techniques?" he asked, looking curious.

She replied with an eager "Yes!" Then, she tilted her head after a realization. "Some of them are tree hunting techniques, what should I do?" she asked.

Darkfur narrowed his eyes. Then his ears pricked towards something on the far end of camp. Dovepaw turned to look, and spotted Cloudpaw and Sootpaw chatting near the fresh-kill pile while Pounceheart and Iceblossom shared a blackbird nearby, their white pelts pressed close together. Not far from them, Brackenbelly was stretching in the remaining sunlight. _That's the evening hunting patrol that Cloudpaw is supposed to be on!_ Dovepaw realized. She noticed Flamefall calmly observing them, then getting up and padding over to Brackenbelly.

"T-there's still a little bit of time before the dusk patrol," Darkfur pointed out. "Want to ask if we can tag along with them for a little bit?" he suggested. "I-i'm sure Snaketail would be okay with it."

Dovepaw only needed to think about it for a heartbeat. _Cloudpaw's going to be there! Maybe I can show off in front of her, too!_ "Yes!" she meowed, nodding. "Can we ask them now?"

Darkfur nodded back. "That's a good idea." He turned and began to walk towards the gathered patrol, twitching his tail at Dovepaw. She followed after him, and noticed Sootpaw and Cloudpaw glancing at them as they approached.

Brackenbelly paused in her conversation with Flamefall, and turned towards Darkfur. "Hi, Darkfur and Dovepaw," she mewed, sounding slightly exasperated. "You two looking to wish my apprentice good luck?" Flamefall looked at them with narrowed eyes, his gaze calculating.

"A-actually, I was going to ask if we could tag along with your patrol for a little while?" Darkfur requested. "I'll have to leave partway through for my patrol, but Dovepaw wants to show me some hunting techniques."

Brackenbelly nodded. "Yes, you can. We might need the extra paws; this sky doesn't look friendly to filling our bellies." She flicked her fluffy tail at the clouds approaching the sun.

"Thank you!" Darkfur responded. "We'll do our best to help out."

"Yes!" Dovepaw chimed in. "I'll catch plenty of squirrels!"

Brackenbelly let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. "I sure hope you do." She then narrowed her eyes; Poolfern was approaching the group. The deputy touched Pounceheart on the shoulder with her tail as she passed, and the white tom looked up at the congregation of cats.

"Brackenbelly, I'd like it if you could let Pounceheart return to camp early from your patrol," she started. "He's needed on the dusk patrol, and we'd rather not keep the rogues waiting."

Brackenbelly gave her a nod, briefly meeting Pounceheart's eyes. "We'll send him back with Darkfur when the time comes, then." Poolfern glanced at Darkfur, then dipped her head in acknowledgement, and padded away to rejoin Mossystar and Larchnose. Pounceheart glanced at Iceblossom, then the two siblings resumed eating their blackbird.

Darkfur met Dovepaw's eyes for a heartbeat, then walked over to Sootpaw and Cloudpaw with a spring in his step. Dovepaw followed him. _Maybe we can get Sootpaw to join us as well!_ she thought hopefully.

"Er – hi, father. And Dovepaw too, I guess," Sootpaw mewed as they approached. "Are you two going out with Cloudpaw?" he asked.

"Don't you need to lead that border patrol soon?" Cloudpaw added, sounding skeptical.

"Y-yes!" Darkfur confirmed. "I'm going to head back to camp early, so I can do it." He then looked at Sootpaw. "Do you want to come?"

The dark gray apprentice narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm also on that border patrol. And our mentors took us out training earlier," he said, ending in a short huff. "And I don't feel like hunting in the rain." He flicked his tail at the clouds overhead, then continued in a quiet, annoyed voice. "Why did I have to think to myself that at least it wasn't raining during the dawn patrol?"

Cloudpaw gained a mirthful glint in her eyes. "Aw, were you trying to cheer yourself up?" she mewed. Darkfur awkwardly looked away and shifted his paws.

"Are you a sunflower, Sootpaw?" Dovepaw asked. _That's probably as far as I should go…_

Her brother gave her an unamused look, seemingly questioning why she had to exist. "Why must you two be like this?" he asked, shaking his head. "I'm going to go rest inside the apprentices' den for a little while. See you later," he mewed, and then turned and padded away.

Dovepaw heard a small sigh, thought it was the wind, and then realized that it had come from Darkfur. "C-could you two try to be a little nicer?" he meowed. "He's your brother. I'd rather if you three didn't get into any serious arguments." He fixed her and Cloudpaw with an imploring gaze.

"Are we all ready to set out?" Brackenbelly's voice interrupted the moment. Darkfur jolted momentarily in surprise; then glanced at Dovepaw and Cloudpaw. They both nodded. Then he turned around, nodded to Brackenbelly, and the three of them got up and headed for the camp entrance.

As she passed underneath the thorn tunnel, she noticed her surroundings suddenly grow darker; the cloud must have blocked out the sun, like it had been threatening to do since the second hunting patrol returned. Dovepaw shivered. _If it rains, it's going to be a lot harder to show off my hunting techniques! Guess I'll have to be quick._ With that, she emerged into the forest with the rest of the patrol. Iceblossom was surveying the trees while Brackenbelly had turned to face them.

"We're going to be hunting not far from here, a little ways from where some of the abandoned tunnel entrances are," the ginger tabby meowed. "We'll split up into pairs once we get there. Flamefall tells me that the second patrol had good hunting nearby." With that, she flicked her tail, and padded off into the trees. The five other cats followed behind her.

Dovepaw found herself lagging slightly behind, in order to talk to Cloudpaw. "Hey! I heard you were in the elders' den earlier!" she mewed. "What stories were they telling?" she inquired.

"Beetlewing told me about the time when SkyClan tried to go back to the gorge," Cloudpaw responded. She looked up at the sky. "It's… probably not the best tale to tell in this weather."

"Oh." With that, Dovepaw quieted down, and resumed following the patrol, listening to the crackle of dried leaves underfoot.

* * *

Dovepaw's forepaws slammed into the ground, encircling a terrified mouse. Leaning down, she gave it a clean bite to the back of its neck. It squeaked once, then fell limp in her claws. She grabbed it in her teeth and stood up, turning to face Darkfur with her tail held high in the air. He nodded at her, eyes shining with pride. "Good job, Dovepaw!" he mewed.

She let out a small purr, then padded over to a nearby beech tree, buried the mouse at its roots, then darted off into a thick patch of undergrowth. "C'mon, let's find some more prey!" she called out. Darkfur dove into the patch beside her, moving silently through the dense branches. _Let's see if I can't find a third piece of prey before you have to go!_ she thought to herself. Then she glanced up at the cloud-covered sky, or what little could be seen of it beyond the darkened canopy. _…Or before it starts raining, I suppose._

Darkfur suddenly paused, sniffing the air. "…I t-think I smell a rabbit," he whispered, pointing with his tail. Dovepaw gazed out into the forest, and spotted the creature nibbling on the stem of a drooping flower. She turned to look at her father; he tilted his head at her.

 _How do we sneak up on it?_ she wondered, scanning the area around the rabbit. The area directly behind it was covered in thorny undergrowth, about a fox-length wide… _Ah!_ Dovepaw pointed with her tail to the softer undergrowth in front of the rabbit, directing Darkfur to take position there. She crept behind the patch of thorny undergrowth, and crouched, preparing to spring. Then she flicked her tail at Darkfur, and –

A loud meow rang out. "Darkfur! We need to go back to camp!" The black tom flinched, glancing behind him, while the rabbit froze for a heartbeat, then began to dash away.

 _It's getting away!_ Dovepaw chose that moment to spring, clearing the thorny undergrowth and landing just behind the rabbit. She winced as her tail was scraped by the thorns, but quickly reached out, claws extended, and pulled the rabbit towards her, killing it with a blow to the neck.

Leaving the rabbit where it fell, she pulled her tail free from the thorns, and looked up to see Pounceheart emerge from the trees behind Darkfur. The white tom's eyes widened as he noticed Dovepaw's tail. "Are you okay, Dovepaw?" he asked.

Dovepaw nodded. "Yes!" she replied. _I hope Darkfur saw me do that jump!_

Darkfur looked at her in concern. "Good catch!" he praised, then his expression became serious. "But p-please try to be less reckless. Your mother and I would be devastated if anything happened to you," he stated.

The gray apprentice shuddered, and nodded. Pounceheart glanced at her, then at Darkfur. "We'd best return to camp now," he meowed. He then turned to leave, but looked back over his shoulder. "I left Iceblossom alone not far from here. Could you meet up with her?" he asked. Dovepaw nodded again.

Darkfur tapped her shoulder with his tail. "You've hunted r-really well so far. I look forward to seeing the fresh-kill pile when the dusk patrol is over." He turned and followed Pounceheart into the trees.

"See you later!" Dovepaw called out, sitting down. She looked absently at her scratched-up tail, then at the rabbit. She picked up the rabbit, carried it back to the beech tree, and buried it beside the mouse. Her mouth watered, and she recalled the time earlier that day, where she shared prey with Sootpaw and Cloudpaw. Then she remembered Cloudpaw's insistence that she should not wake up Sootpaw, and her brother leaving her and Cloudpaw behind after they teased him. _Does Sootpaw want to avoid me?_ she wondered. Then a memory arose of her and Sootpaw by the lake, spraying each other with mud, dust, and water, Sootpaw chasing after a hapless dove, and inane teasing shared between them. _I know he likes me. So why avoid me?_

Feeling saddened, she decided to go join Iceblossom. As she walked through the trees, she glanced up at the sky. _I can't see the sun through these clouds, but it's close to dusk. Sootpaw's going to be on that patrol, and they're going to meet the rogues._ She paused, sniffing the air. A puzzling scent found its way to her. _Maybe I could ask him about it afterwards?_ It was familiar, and yet very unfamiliar at the same time. … _What is that?_

A drop of rain fell onto her ear. Dovepaw jumped, shivering. She glanced around the darkened forest, feeling suddenly alone and vulnerable. More drops began to fall, and she quickened her pace. Yet the abnormal scent lingered, seeming to grow stronger. _Don't scents get obscured in the rain?_

The feeling of curiosity welled up inside stopped, scanning her surroundings. She spotted a place about a tree-length off of her path, where there seemed to be a downwards slope, and a pair of massive oak trees looming behind it. _Surely a quick look can't hurt._ Veering from her route, she padded silently up to the place where the slope dropped away, pushing her way through a thick clump of soggy ferns. She stepped out from the ferns, and shook her head, before she looked down and –

Dovepaw let out a scream of pure horror, rending the still atmosphere with a wave of distress.

Iceblossom lay at the bottom of the slope, half-sheltered underneath a bramble bush and covered in stray leaves. Her once-bright white fur was so completely stained with both mud and deep red blood, to the point that Dovepaw could not count the number of wounds on her. The blood had stained the grass and dirt beneath her, and swirled in a once-clean pool of water nearby, the she-cat's silky tail trailing in the water.

The apprentice walked slowly and shakily down the slope, and touched a paw to Iceblossom's chest. A few traces of warmth remained, but the flutter of a heartbeat was absent. The warrior was dead. Dovepaw let out a wail of grief, backing away a few paces before falling to the ground. Memories of her interactions with the kind warrior entered her mind, and she stared at Iceblossom's corpse, feeling forlorn. _Why didn't I go to her sooner?!_

The sound of hurried pawsteps caused her to snap her head up, attention forced back to the present. "Dovepaw? Where are you?" a voice called out, and she was surprised to recognize it as Mossystar. Her Clan Leader appeared at the top of the slope, visibly freezing as her gaze fell on the scene below her. "Oh, great S-starClan…" she mewed, eyes fixed on the sight below her and filled with dread.

A dark shape appeared at her side, pausing briefly, then rushing down the slope to crouch beside Dovepaw. "Dovepaw?" Sootpaw sniffed at her. "Dovepaw, _are you okay?_ Sis?" he stressed, amber eyes blinking in concern.

She nodded at him, about to say something when a white blur came pounding down the slope. A second wail of grief rose as Pounceheart skidded to a stop beside his sister's corpse, fur standing on end. "No!" he cried out. "StarClan, no!" He glanced frantically around, distraught blue eyes landing on Dovepaw. "W-what happened? Did you see who did this?" he asked rapidly.

"N-no… S-she was already…" she trailed off, choking. It hurt too much to say. Pounceheart's eyes softened, then he looked away. Mossystar had joined them, staring absently at Iceblossom; Dovepaw could see Larchnose and Darkfur appearing behind her, while Dapplemouse and Hollybriar hung back at the top of the slope. Darkfur hurried to Dovepaw's side, sitting and trailing his tail over her spine, despite the look of shock and terror on his face. _So the dusk patrol is here…_ she realized. Larchnose had moved forward, and was looking at Mossystar, waiting for orders.

Sootpaw, meanwhile, was distracted, sniffing the grass nearby. Then his eyes widened, and filled with dread. He glanced at Hollybriar, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion, then they both looked at Mossystar. The Clan Leader padded over to a pile of leaves, giving them a sniff. "There's rogue scent here," she mewed. Then she turned and nodded at Larchnose. "We need to figure out who's responsible for this."

Silence hung over them, as every cat considered the implications of the murder. Pounceheart was stumbling around, looking down at Iceblossom in shock, not seeming to care that he was stepping in her blood. Dovepaw looked down; her own paw was stained as well. She shuddered, and pressed closer to Darkfur and Sootpaw, feeling cold as the rain soaked into her fur.

 _Where's Cloudpaw and Brackenbelly?_ she wondered. Dapplemouse seemed to have the same thought; the tortoiseshell spoke quietly with Hollybriar, and, receiving a nod, disappeared into the trees.

Dovepaw looked down at the ground, feeling drained. It was all too much for one day. It had been going so well earlier, and now there was a murderer loose and a group of rogues near their border. After knowing peace for all of her life, it was jarring. _Something bad is going to happen._ She thought of Sootpaw and Cloudpaw. _Are any of us going to be safe?_ With a shiver, she tried to redirect her focus to the wet leaves at her feet.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N:** Well, this was unexpectedly long. Expect the next chapter within a month. Enjoy!

* * *

The rain continued to fall in the clearing where the dusk patrol had gathered around Iceblossom. Sootpaw felt his sister shiver beside him, and then press up against his fur. He glanced over, taking in Dovepaw's green eyes, which were absently staring at the ground. His father, only visible as a dark shape on his sister's other side, was gently stroking her with his tail.

 _StarClan, why did my sister of all cats have to be the one to find her?_ he wondered. As much as he hated Dovepaw's incessant chatter and inane questions, her newfound silence was unsettling, and Sootpaw had begun to wonder how long it would last. He found himself needing to concentrate, in order to stop his mind from creating an image of what would happen if her silence lingered forever.

Letting out a small sigh, he looked up. A few moments had gone by since Dapplemouse left. Mossystar and Hollybriar were sitting at the top of the slope, looking out in the direction where the tortoiseshell had disappeared. Pounceheart's head was hung low as he shakily paced the clearing, and his face grew more horrified as Larchnose removed the leaves from Iceblossom's pelt, uncovering the many wounds on her. Mossystar occasionally glanced down at them with a worried expression.

Sootpaw was watching Larchnose remove the mud from Iceblossom's claws and examine them, when he heard a voice call, "Sootpaw? Dovepaw?" He was delighted to recognize it as Cloudpaw, who looked significantly smaller due to the soggy, once-fluffy fur plastered to her sides. She ran down the slope, Brackenbelly following close behind her. "Are you okay? I heard that Dovepaw was the one who – um. You know." She gave the corpse a furtive glance, seeming disturbed.

" _I'm_ okay, just creeped out," Sootpaw responded. He shuddered, looking nervously at Dovepaw. "…I don't know about her."

Cloudpaw's eyes widened, and she stared at Dovepaw's absent gaze for a heartbeat before reaching out and prodding her with a paw. "Dovepaw?" The cat in question jolted and looked up at Cloudpaw, wide-eyed. "I'm here. Are you alright?"

Dovepaw nodded shakily. "Y-yes… i-it's just too much…" she trailed off, and glanced at Iceblossom, before recoiling and looking away.

Darkfur leaned over, and gave her a comforting lick to the top of her head. "I-i think she just needs some peace right now," he mewed. He looked tired, and unsure of himself.

Sootpaw and Cloudpaw both nodded, and looked back at Iceblossom, not leaving Dovepaw's side. Sootpaw felt uneasy, knowing that comforting his sister would have to wait, and silently wished that the three of them were back in their nests. _At least we'd be out of the rain._

Brackenbelly was silently staring at Iceblossom, visibly shaking and glancing away towards Pounceheart, who seemed uncertain what to make of her presence. Larchnose, meanwhile, was finishing his examination of Iceblossom's claws. "Mossystar?" he meowed, and the cat in question turned and bounded down the slope, Hollybriar and Dapplemouse turning to watch the scene below.

"What have you found?" Mossystar asked, examining Iceblossom's body. She looked at Pounceheart, who had stopped pacing and was listening to them with pricked ears.

"Two things, one of which might be of aid," Larchnose replied. He pointed with his tail to the wounds marring Iceblossom's white pelt. "It seems that most of these were inflicted after her death," he started. "The actual cause of death is the bite to the back of her neck. A few of these wounds look like they were inflicted by violence, the others look to be more methodical and placed to look especially brutal." He indicated Iceblossom's slashed-up eye, and the large wounds to her throat and belly. "So our killer felt some reason to mutilate her afterwards, and likely did not do this out of a sudden impulse to hurt her or get her out of the way."

"W-what do you mean?" Pounceheart started, looking distressed. "Was my sister killed to fulfill some twisted plan?" he mewed.

"Unfortunately, it seems so," Larchnose replied, eyes filled with sympathy.

 _Couldn't you have shown that sympathy earlier?_ Sootpaw wondered. _You're acting like you aren't even bothered by the fact that your clanmate is dead._ He silently glanced at Dovepaw beside him, knowing that he was only angry due to her distress. _Please, let this murder be the only one…_

Pounceheart let out an unhappy wail, and sat down, staring at Iceblossom's tail, which was now resting on the ground, very wet. Mossystar looked at him, and meowed, "Let's discuss that later. What was the second thing you discovered?"

Larchnose pointed at Iceblossom's claws. "Some of the blood on her claws is not her own," he answered. "Unfortunately, it seems that her murderer took the liberty of removing their fur from her claws. This indicates that they are relatively clever."

Mossystar groaned. "So, we're dealing with an intelligent cat with some higher motive." She narrowed her eyes. "There is some useful information to be found there, however." Sweeping her gaze over the cats gathered in the clearing, she mewed, "We need to search for a cat with an unexplained injury. It's far from a foolproof method, but it's a clue."

Brackenbelly nodded, and Sootpaw could see Hollybriar and Dapplemouse doing the same. "What if they find some way to hide it, or already have some other injuries?" Cloudpaw asked, gaining the cats' attention. "We don't know which group this cat came from, and the rogues did say that some of their cats were injured."

Mossystar sighed. "That's true. We'll have to investigate this carefully." She looked up at the sky, or as much as she was able to, given the rain. "Speaking of the rogues, it's getting pretty late now," she meowed. Then she turned to the cats in the clearing. "Let's see… Darkfur, Hollybriar, Sootpaw, and… Pounceheart, if you're okay with going with us?" She looked at him in concern.

Pounceheart paused for a moment, then nodded shakily, standing up. "Y-yes," he said lightly. "I-I want to be there. To make sure this night doesn't get any worse," he finished, sounding tired.

Sootpaw glanced at him, then at Dovepaw, who had closed her eyes, but had her ears turned towards the conversation. He wanted to see the rogues as well. _If what happened here causes chaos, and she goes through something even worse than this, then…_ He shook himself. Now was not the time for getting lost in dark possibilities.

Mossystar nodded slowly. "Good. We may need you to do exactly that." Then she looked towards Larchnose. "The rest of you, get Iceblossom and your prey back to camp, and try to look for more clues, if you can." Turning away, she waved her tail to signal the chosen cats to follow her, then padded up the slope.

Dovepaw glanced hastily between Sootpaw and Darkfur, eyes wide as the two of them stood up to follow Mossystar. "A-are you two going to be alright?"

Sootpaw leaned in and gave her a gentle headbutt. "We'll be back. I promise this night won't get any worse," he mewed. Darkfur merely gave her a soft blink, then turned to Cloudpaw, who nodded and took her place next to Dovepaw.

The two toms turned away, and climbed the slope. Brackenbelly was staring down at the ground with a crestfallen expression, before stepping closer to Iceblossom. She bent down, and gently began to clean the white she-cat's face using her tongue, seeming to quietly whisper something to her as she did.

Not far away, Dapplemouse was observing Larchnose as he cautiously sniffed at some of Iceblossom's wounds, briefly catching the gaze of Sootpaw. The apprentice turned away, and looked back at Dovepaw and Cloudpaw for a heartbeat before turning to Darkfur. _One of us should stay here…_ He opened his mouth to ask Darkfur, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of his mentor by his side.

Sootpaw flinched, and looked into Hollybriar's green eyes. He recognized the expression of quiet pity and sympathy; it was from the times where he knew she saw his mistakes, but did not get angry at him for them. "Do you want to stay here?" she asked, voice wavering slightly.

"Uhh…" Sootpaw glanced back at Darkfur, only to find him caught in a conversation with Dapplemouse. _He's always told us not to interrupt while he's talking with his sister. And I want to stay, but…_ "N-no, I'm fine," he answered. He noticed Mossystar having her own discussion with the distraught Pounceheart. _Are any of us right now?_

Hollybriar nodded. "You wish for the diplomacy to work out in everyone's favor," she mewed softly. Sootpaw tilted his head; where was she going with this? "It would be more appropriate to reflect upon that later, but that is a rather–"

"Dapplemouse! Run back to camp and fetch yarrow, now!" Larchnose shouted, sounding panicked. The tortoiseshell jolted, then took off running, leaving behind a surprised Darkfur. "And bring two cats back with you!" the medicine cat continued as Dapplemouse disappeared into the darkening, foggy-with-rain forest.

Sootpaw and Hollybriar looked down the slope, their conversation briefly forgotten. Larchnose had not moved, but was staring at Brackenbelly, tail lashing. _What's gotten into him now?_ Sootpaw wondered. He observed Brackenbelly, quickly noting that the ginger tabby's amber eyes appeared unfocused and confused as she swayed on her paws. _Oh no._

On the other side of Hollybriar, Mossystar appeared. "What's wrong with her?" she meowed, voice laced with both concern and authority. Meanwhile, Cloudpaw watched with wide eyes as Brackenbelly collapsed onto her side, falling unconscious.

Larchnose rushed to her side. "The killer smeared deathberry juice on Iceblossom's fur," he answered, causing Cloudpaw to visibly shudder.

Mossystar responded with an agitated hiss, clearly angry. "Can you make sure she lives?"

The medicine cat nodded. "If Dapplemouse gets back here in time, yes." He glanced around at the stunned and horrified cats. "She will be weak, but she will survive."

Mossystar took a deep breath, then nodded. "In that case, we need to be on our way to the rogues' camp," she meowed shakily. She turned and signaled to the cats at the top of the slope to follow her.

Larchnose looked up at them. "I recommend washing your paws in the stream near WindClan," he mewed. "Or perhaps in a temporary river created by this rain. Do not lick them clean." Then he turned back to Brackenbelly, and Cloudpaw padded up beside him to help.

With one last glance back at Dovepaw, who was looking miserable and lonely, Sootpaw turned and began following behind Mossystar. _So, a killing, and a poisoning that could've easily been deadly._ He shuddered, feeling extremely disquieted. Looking around, Pounceheart and Darkfur appeared shaken, and Mossystar and Hollybriar seemed composed, but worried.

 _One of my sisters discovered the body. The other had her mentor poisoned._ Sootpaw felt the fur along his tail bristle, and he looked out into the forest. _Whoever you are, murderer… I'm not forgiving that._

A flash, followed by a loud crack of thunder, made him jump. The patrol walked onwards in silence. _What happens if one of us gets struck by… no. I'm not a kit anymore, that's absurd._ Sootpaw shook his head, and instead chose to think about what the rogues' camp would be like, and who would be there.

* * *

The patrol remained silent as they came across a small, rapidly flowing stream created by the intense downpour, washed their paws, and then continued onwards through the forest. Sootpaw's thoughts were elsewhere.

 _Maybe there will be a hundred cats… no, then they'd easily handle a badger with sheer numbers. Maybe one of them will look like Tigerstar. The first one, that is. Or Scourge?_ Sootpaw's thoughts paused for a heartbeat. _That would be terrifying. We don't need any more fear tonight… no. I don't want to think about this._ He shuddered, attention snapping back to the present.

He had fallen a few paces behind the rest of the patrol, and he noticed the faint presence of rogue scent. Peering through the rain and darkness, he thought he saw three dark shapes in the distance, and immediately noticed that one of them was absolutely massive. _Of course one of them has to be big and intimidating,_ Sootpaw thought, then paused, noticing the patrol coming to a slow halt. Mossystar's tail was visible, giving the signal to spread out behind her as she stopped in front of the small group.

"Greetings. I'm Mossystar," she mewed calmly, eyes fixing on a familiar black tom with a gray spot on his forehead. "You must be Quiver." Behind her, Hollybriar held a neutral, dignified expression, while Pounceheart and Darkfur looked nervous.

Sootpaw glanced at them and flattened his ears. _We look like a bunch of scared kits. Great. Let's just hope Mossystar doesn't jump to conclusions._

Quiver stepped forward, dipping his head. His eyes flicked momentarily towards Pounceheart, then away. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight," he responded evenly, looking over the rest of the patrol. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized their faces. "We've been waiting. Did something happen?"

"We almost thought you weren't going to show up," one of the other rogues added. Her pale, yellow tabby fur was plastered to her sides, dripping wet.

The remaining rogue, the huge, dark tabby tom, glared silently at them with his ears flattened against the rain, looking downright miserable. Sootpaw flinched. _Where's Squeaker? Did he decide to hang out with the mice tonight?_

Mossystar took a deep breath, steadying herself before answering. "One of ThunderClan's warriors was found dead."

Quiver's eyes widened with surprise. "I…" he paused, looking unsure of what to say. "I am sorry to hear that," he mewed in a somber voice. Behind him, the huge tom looked on with alarm, while the tabby she-cat looked unnervingly curious. "Are the rest of you safe?"

Mossystar slowly shook her head. "No," she answered, voice harsh. "Not when there is a murderer on the loose."

Pounceheart's white fur began to bristle with alarm. "W-we don't know who they might be, but Larchnose is investigating," he stated.

Quiver looked down with narrowed, contemplative green eyes. "And Larchnose is…?"

"Our Clan's medicine cat," Hollybriar answered, eyes fixed on Quiver. Sootpaw shifted his paws, feeling out of place. Glancing over, he could Darkfur doing the same.

"We would've brought him with us, but since this just happened and another warrior has been poisoned, we had to leave him behind," Mossystar meowed.

Quiver dipped his head, seemingly lost in thought. "You were intending to help us?"

Mossystar sighed. "We were… considering it," she mewed solemnly.

Sootpaw felt a sense of dread well up inside of him. _Please, please don't say you're not going to help them…_ A quick look at Pounceheart revealed that he was similarly concerned. "A-and we're still willing to help!" Sootpaw added, drawing sharp glances from Hollybriar and Mossystar. He looked away, feeling intimidated.

Quiver's face took on an expression of resignation, before letting out a low growl. "I see." His face then became indecipherable. "If you are still willing to consider, I believe we've stood here in the rain long enough." Turning around, he swished his dark tail. "Follow me, if you wish," he mewed.

The other two rogues turned and began to follow Quiver, the tabby she-cat pausing to give them a wink. Sootpaw shuddered, then looked at Mossystar, who was looking down at the ground, thinking.

Darkfur, seeming nervous, approached her, then hesitantly mewed in a quiet voice, "A-are you going to…?"

"Yes," Mossystar meowed firmly, cutting him off. "As Pounceheart has said, we have no idea who the killer is. We can't hold them responsible yet, no matter how much we suspect them." With a flick of her fluffy calico tail, she began to follow Quiver through the trees beyond ThunderClan's border.

As Sootpaw fell in behind the overwhelmed Pounceheart, he exchanged a glance with Hollybriar; she blinked at him through the falling rain, seeming curious and somehow pleased. _She's not mad?_ he wondered, confused.

Quiver paused and looked back at the patrol briefly as they caught up, giving a quiet nod. He flicked his tail at the two rogues walking beside him. "This is Rubble," he mewed, pointing his tail at the huge tabby tom, who gave them a momentary glare, then began staring off into the dark trees.

"And I'm Buttercup," the pale tabby she-cat meowed. She tilted her head curiously at them. "What are your names?"

Mossystar paused briefly before answering. "You know who I am," she mewed gently. She indicated the cats on the patrol with her tail. "This is Darkfur." The black tom jumped, seemingly nervous at suddenly being called upon. "This is Hollybriar". The senior warrior merely gave a dignified nod. "The white tom is Pounceheart." He did not respond, causing Mossystar to narrow her eyes. "And that is Sootpaw."

The apprentice found himself uncertain what to feel, and nervousness crept up his spine. _So… we're being taken to their camp. And Mossystar might be willing to help them. But she's still tense, and Quiver is trying to avoid discussing the murder._ He paused. _What happens if someone brings up the rogue scent we found?_ He visualized Quiver and Rubble yelling angrily and chasing them away, swearing to bring battle to their Clan, while Buttercup sat back and laughed creepily.

Shuddering, he pulled his attention back to reality, discovering that they were still on their way, and the group was silent. _I hope I didn't miss anything…_ he thought. His gaze fell on Darkfur. The skinny tom was regularly looking back into the dark forest, eyes filled with worry. _My sisters. Brackenbelly. Are they gonna be alright?_ Sootpaw wondered. _I wish I was back in my nest. That we all were._

* * *

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the patrol and their escorts as they walked through the forest, the rain and the darkness making it difficult to see. The last traces of light had disappeared from the sky.

Shivering, Sootpaw caught the scent of a large group of cats. "We're nearing the place we've decided to shelter in," Quiver announced. The apprentice peered through the gloom, frowning when he discovered that it was impossible. "Don't think of trying anything," Quiver continued in an intimidating voice.

Mossystar's ears flattened. "We will not," she replied. She then turned her head, and gave the patrol a demanding look, silently requesting that they listen.

Darkfur and Pounceheart nodded, faces showing that they were nervous but curious, while Hollybriar held a serious expression. "How many cats are here?" she asked.

Quiver studied her briefly. "Sixteen," he mewed calmly. "Including the kits. We'd have one more cat if not for that cursed badger." He looked away, quickening his steps. Hollybriar was frowning.

 _So, not quite as large as ThunderClan, but still a large group._ Sootpaw felt nervous, but the sensation was overcome by curiosity as Quiver slipped through a narrow gap in a dense clump of brambles that obscured anything beyond them. The cat-scent was strongest here. Buttercup padded through after the rogue leader, while Rubble stopped and tipped his head towards the gap, prompting the ThunderClan patrol to go through first.

Being at the back of the group, Sootpaw was the last one to enter before Rubble. He came to a stop, taking everything in. They stood in a clearing with uneven ground covered in sparse grass. It was surrounded by clumps of thorny undergrowth and large rocks, some of which jutted out into the clearing. Looking closely, he could see a small stream weaving its way underneath the bushes at the far end of the clearing. Tall, gnarled trees loomed overhead, their brown leaves providing a small amount of shelter. _This place doesn't look comfortable. And their dens probably don't shelter them from the rain very well._

The patrol stopped in the center of the clearing, taking in their surroundings. It was then that Sootpaw noticed the nests of leaves, ferns, and moss tucked underneath bushes and overhanging rocks, and the scent of blood in the air. Several faces peered out at them, eyes showing both curiosity and hostility.

With a shudder, Sootpaw turned back to Quiver, who had stopped, eyes watching the patrol. "Everyone! The ThunderClan cats have come to visit," he called out. "Please be courteous to them." Then he turned towards them. "Feel free to look around," the black tom ordered. "But stay where we can see you."

Mossystar turned to exchange a serious look with Hollybriar and Pounceheart, while Darkfur hastily nodded to Quiver, and began glancing around frantically. Sootpaw noticed that they had been approached by some of the rogues, including Buttercup; Rubble was visible by the camp entrance, watching their movements with the same annoyed glare. He gulped, feeling frightened by the unfamiliar cats.

"Hello," mewed a small, silky voice near him. Sootpaw turned to meet a cat who was not at all what he had expected to see in a rogue camp. The she-cat was tiny, with long, thick gray and white fur and a soft face complete with endearing, curious purple-blue eyes. "My name's Boadicea, what's yours?" she asked.

Looking down, he could see a flash of silver around her neck, right above a set of deep, cobweb-covered scratches. _A collar? And a weird name? What's a kittypet doing with a bunch of rogues?_ "I-I'm Sootpaw," he answered. "I'm, erm…" He flicked his tail at the rest of the patrol. "With them."

Boadicea nodded. "With ThunderClan?" she mewed. "Thank you for showing up. My dear Panache is injured – he could use some help."

Sootpaw blinked. _Two kittypets?_ He glanced around; the others had struck up conversations with the rogues, but he could not see a collar on any of them. "Where is he?" he asked, feeling curious. "I-I'd like to see him."

"He's over here," the gray and white she-cat mewed. She padded over to a scraggly, damp clump of ferns near the edge of camp. Sootpaw could see brambles woven into it. "We weren't expecting to face a badger when we left the Twolegplace, but after what happened while we traveled with our boatfolk, we should've known something would happen."

As they crawled underneath the ferns, they heard an exhausted voice call out. "Bo? Did you find another friend?" A ginger tabby raised his head out of a mossy nest to look at them, amber eyes gleaming in the darkness as they scrutinized Sootpaw.

 _That must be Panache._ The apprentice noticed a gold collar around his neck, scraps of moss tucked in around it. A quick glance at Boadicea confirmed that she had done the same to her silver collar. Then his gaze fell to Panache's flank, and he instantly had to stop himself from recoiling. A large, deep wound that probably extended to the tom's belly was visible, with red stains able to be seen on the cobwebs covering it. _What did the badger do to these cats?_ he thought fearfully.

"We seem to meet someone new everywhere we go, don't we?" Panache meowed, a trace of amusement creeping into his voice. "Who is the young monsieur?"

"I-I'm Sootpaw," he answered. _What is a 'monsieur'?_ "I'm here with ThunderClan. You must be Panache." His mind was reeling as he realized that he had seen far fewer than sixteen rogues in the clearing, and he began to wonder just how many of them were injured.

Panache nodded. "Oui, that I am." He then turned to Boadicea, face becoming humorous. "See? My reputation precedes me!" he proclaimed, before letting his head rest on the moss once more.

The tiny she-cat just let out a _mrrow_ of amusement, and meowed, "It does not, you overly gallant furball!" Sootpaw fidgeted awkwardly, feeling distinctly out of place with the pair. Boadicea's eyes flicked over to him. "He's always been like this," she mewed. "We're mates who travel together. We're usually with our boatfolk on the seas, going on adventures."

"S-so why are you here?" Sootpaw asked, feeling overwhelmed. "And what is a 'sea'?" A noise outside the clump of ferns caused him to prick his ears towards the sound.

"We were separated from our boatfolk and couldn't find them," Boadicea answered, sounding saddened. "And a sea… it's like a lake, but much, much larger. You can't even see the shore when you're in the middle of it! And the water has an odd taste to it."

She quieted, pricking her ears to listen to the same sound Sootpaw heard. "That must be the kits," she mewed. "They've been excited since Quiver and Squeaker got back from hunting this morning." The small cat pointed with her tail towards the entrance of the tiny den. "They'll probably be happy to see you."

Sootpaw nodded, then turned to walk out of the ferns. _Bo and Panache are strange._ As soon as he took a step out into the rain, he was startled by the appearance of a pair of kits. "Hey! Are you the other ThunderClan cat?" asked the extremely high-pitched voice of a she-kit whose brown tabby and white fur was fluffed out against the downpour.

"We wanna see you, but all the others are busy talking!" mewed a dark gray tabby tom-kit, looking up at the apprentice with brilliant yellow eyes. A scratch was visible on his forehead.

"Wha-" Sootpaw took a step backward, surprised. "Y-yes!" he replied hastily. Glancing around the clearing, he noticed Mossystar and Hollybriar being led to a bramble bush by Quiver and a large black she-cat, while Pounceheart and Darkfur exchanged words with Buttercup and a ginger-spotted white she-cat.

"You are? What's your name?" the she-kit asked, bouncing with excitement and causing Sootpaw to angrily wonder why he had to get accosted with kits clearly less than two moons old. They did not even seem bothered by the cold rain.

"Yes, tell us! Please!" the other kit demanded. "They say you're going to help our sister!" he continued, making Sootpaw widen his eyes.

"Kits, leave him alone, please," a familiar squeaky voice cut in. Squeaker was padding towards them, piercing yellow eyes full of amusement. He met the apprentice's eyes. "You're Sootpaw, right?"

The apprentice nodded. "Y-yes. I was wondering where you were." He looked down at the pair of kits in front of him, who were now giving Squeaker a pleading expression. _They look so small compared to Hazelblaze's kits. I wonder if Dovepaw would like to play with them._ He shook the thought away.

Squeaker turned his gaze to the kits. "These are two of my kits," he mewed. "The dark tabby is Arch, and the other one is Hazel."

The two kits paused to give Sootpaw a proud, excited look. He gingerly leaned down to meet their eyes. "I'm Sootpaw," he meowed. "What's this I hear about your sister?" he asked.

"She was hurt by that scary black and white creature," Hazel mewed in a shrill voice. Arch nodded beside her, looking fearful.

Squeaker looked up at Sootpaw, cautiously assessing him, then tilted his head. "Would you like to see her?"

"Y-yes," he answered, not sure if he was being awkward or not. _I barely know these cats. Why do I feel so concerned about them?_ He gave Squeaker what he hoped was a sincere look.

"Then follow me." The brown tabby led him to a reinforced honeysuckle bush next to a large boulder, and slipped into a gap in the branches.

"Me first!" mewed Arch, as he raced through the gap, quickly followed by an angrily squealing Hazel.

Sootpaw watched them enter, pausing for a moment at the entrance. He quickly glanced back to the ThunderClan patrol; Mossystar, Hollybriar, and Quiver had not reappeared. Pounceheart and Darkfur were still talking with the two she-cats near the center of the clearing, both holding nervous, downcast expressions. He wondered how his sisters were doing. _They might still be out there... Please, StarClan, let them be okay._

Bringing his attention back to the present, Sootpaw slipped through the gap after the kits. The space in here was slightly larger than the fern den that Boadicea and Panache were staying in, and the walls were strong and tightly woven, reminding him of the ThunderClan nursery.

He stopped himself from wincing as the smell of blood reached his nose. "Sootpaw, this is Willow, my mate," Squeaker meowed, blinking at him. The apprentice met the scrutinizing eyes of a dignified, almost regal-looking gray she-cat, who was sitting with her tail wrapped around her forepaws. Large wounds marred the long fur on her chest and shoulders.

He could see a dark, unmoving shape mostly obscured by Willow. _Is that the other… no, that's too big to be a tiny kit. Another injured cat? Or are they just asleep?_ "H-hi," Sootpaw mewed, nervousness seizing him as his voice wavered. "Er… I'm with ThunderClan. I'm here to see their sister." He flicked his tail at Arch and Hazel, who were looking up at him with eager eyes.

Willow nodded. "Speckle's right here, behind me. Patch is there too. Thank you for checking up on her," she mewed gently. Then she looked down at Arch and Hazel. "You didn't bother him too much, I hope?"

"We didn't!" the kits mewed together, in the most innocent voice possible. Annoyance swept over Sootpaw, and he felt the fur begin to bristle along his spine.

"Are you sure?" Squeaker asked intimidatingly, eyes full of mirth.

"W-well… um…" Hazel stammered. She and Arch exchanged a wide-eyed glance, then she mewed, "O-of course we are!" They quickly darted around Willow's side and disappeared from sight, causing their parents to let out _mrrows_ of amusement as they turned to watch.

With Willow no longer obscuring the dark shape behind her, Sootpaw's gaze was drawn to it, and he froze in shock. A spotted gray she-kit looked up at him from a mossy nest, blue eyes filled with pain. One of her hind legs lay at an awkward angle, covered in blood, cobwebs and herbal goop. _That must be Speckle. Oh no…_

The kit lay beside the still form of another cat, an elder whose ragged black and white pelt was almost invisible underneath several huge wounds. _And that's… Patch. Great StarClan…_ Cobwebs and herbs had been applied to them, and most of the blood was cleaned away, but Sootpaw still winced as he noticed a wound close to the tom's throat. Looking carefully, he noticed that Patch's breathing was incredibly weak, his flanks hardly moving. _He's got to be older than Woollytuft,_ the apprentice realized. _How is he still alive? He needs a medicine cat…_

"They both fought bravely," mewed Squeaker, startling Sootpaw and making him look away from Patch and Speckle. Squeaker and his family were looking at him, apparently having noticed his horror. "But they never should've been near that battle."

Sootpaw met Willow's eyes. "I… I'm not sure I've even seen a cat so injured," he mewed softly. "Beetlewing and Woollytuft, our elders, told me stories of devastating battles when I was a kit. And some warriors have nasty scars," he said. "B-but… I've known nothing but peace my whole life, until tonight." He stopped, not knowing how to continue.

"Tonight?" Willow asked, eyes narrowed. "What happened tonight, besides our arrival?" Squeaker's head was tilted, and the kits were curiously staring at him.

"U-uh…" _That's right, they don't know yet…_ Sootpaw glanced frantically around. _What do I say?_ "I-it's… not something I should say in front of them." Using his tail, he indicated Arch and Hazel.

"Aww!" Arch mewled in protest, while Hazel looked annoyed. Squeaker just nodded, while Willow's face softened.

"Should we discuss this outside?" Squeaker asked. "If you're okay with talking about it, that is."

Sootpaw looked down. "I-I don't think I am," he replied. _They're going to learn anyway._ "Quiver knows. Maybe you should –"

The sound of raised, angry voices from outside interrupted him. He turned towards the entrance of the den, recognizing Mossystar's hiss. _Something's gone wrong._ "I need to go," he meowed, turning to leave the den.

"I'll come with you," Squeaker said, glancing at Willow, who nodded. "Kits, please stay here with your mother." Before they could argue, the brown tabby turned and followed Sootpaw out of the den.

As they stepped out into the rain, they were met with the sight of Mossystar exchanging hostile glares with Quiver and the large black rogue, their ears flattened and tails lashing. _Oh, great StarClan._ Hollybriar and the ginger-spotted rogue looked on with narrowed eyes, while Buttercup and Darkfur were wide-eyed, looking clueless as to what they should do.

"What's going on here?" Squeaker asked, running up to the group. Sootpaw spotted Pounceheart; the white tom seemed distressed.

"ThunderClan's leader is overly distrusting," Quiver snapped in response. Sootpaw exchanged a dismayed glance with Hollybriar, remembering their earlier conversation about Mossystar.

The she-cat in question let out a growl. "Excuse me?" she started. "We offer you aid. Then one of our warriors is murdered, your cats' scent is found in the area, and we learn that some of them were away at the time." She flicked her tail towards the camp entrance. A black tom with white markings, slightly younger than Sootpaw, stood there frozen with wide, confused eyes, a mouse lying at his paws. Rubble observed him, eyeing the mouse.

Squeaker looked at Sootpaw in surprise, frowning. "Murder?" he whispered. He turned towards the young tom. "Herbert, I'm sure you wouldn't do anything of the sort," the tabby said. "Your sister is wounded, after all."

The tom – Herbert – nodded hastily. "Y-yes. I-I was just out to go hunting, I didn't go near ThunderClan territory," he meowed.

Mossystar narrowed her eyes. "And what about the scent we found? Or the other two cats who weren't here?"

The large black she-cat hissed angrily, while Quiver let out a growl. "You dare to accuse Midnight and Buckeye of murder? Especially when the latter is severely injured?" The fur bristled along his spine.

"Not accuse," Mossystar replied. "Just note that they are suspects in this." Before Quiver could respond, she continued, "We'd best return to our camp." Pounceheart's face fell, looking defeated. "We'll leave you alone, but don't expect any –"

"Mossystar!" Sootpaw called out, then stopped. _What am I doing?_ he thought, as the cats in the clearing gave him looks of surprise. _I'm objecting to Mossystar in front of rogues! But we have to…_ "There's a kit that's badly wounded, and an elder who's probably going to die if we don't help them," he finished. _And Panache. And Buckeye, and whoever Herbert's sister is._

"We can't let any more cats die, Mossystar," Pounceheart cut in, expression haunted, before becoming determined. "And we might not be able to explain the scent, but we don't want to cause a battle because of a potentially wrongful accusation."

Mossystar and Quiver studied the two of them with disdainful eyes. Then Mossystar softened, and let out a sigh. "Fine." She turned to Quiver. "We'll send a patrol tomorrow at sunhigh, with our medicine cat," she stated.

Quiver nodded. "We'll meet you on the border." His eyes momentarily flicked over to Sootpaw and Pounceheart. "Thank you, for helping us despite what has happened." The apprentice shuddered, beginning to feel intimidated. He glanced at Pounceheart; the white tom gave him a look of relief.

Mossystar swept her tail in an arc. "ThunderClan, I believe it's time for us to leave," she mewed, and the patrol got up to follow her.

"Ginger and Squeaker, please escort them back to their border," Quiver ordered. Mossystar's ear twitched, but she remained silent as Squeaker and the ginger-spotted rogue began to walk with them. "Herbert, if you'd please take that mouse to Willow and the kits?" The young tom nodded, and then sped away with the mouse, leaving behind a mildly upset Rubble.

As they passed through the camp entrance, Squeaker turned to give Sootpaw a grateful look, before he quickened his pace to walk beside Mossystar. The patrol stepped out into the rain, and Sootpaw took in the tired faces of the other cats, noticing Hollybriar studying him carefully, before looking away.

Shivering from the cold rain, he looked out into the night. _I'm probably going to get in trouble for objecting to Mossystar like that,_ he realized. His mind tried to create images of him getting punished, but he found that he did not care. With a sense of dread, he noted that Brackenbelly, Dovepaw, and Cloudpaw were still out in the forest. _I hope they're okay. StarClan, please tell me I did the right thing by leaving to meet the rogues._

Sootpaw decided that the first thing he would do once he got back to camp was find his sisters and talk to them. _We all need it. This night has been horrifying._ He fell into his usual place at the back of the patrol as they walked silently along a narrow path beneath the trees.

* * *

 **A/N:** Panache and Boadicea come from _Little Bo: The Adventures of Bonnie Boadicea_ , a short children's novel series by Julie Andrews Edwards (yes, that Julie Andrews). Also, you might have noticed that there's a few expies running around, most of them from Tailchaser's Song. Thank you for reading.


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